Patent Attorney

Contact: HSchafer@BeemLaw.com

Heather Schafer’s practice of intellectual property law focuses on the prosecution, licensing, and litigation of patents. Ms. Schafer has experience representing clients in many industries, in the U.S. and worldwide, spanning diverse technologies including biotechnology and the biochemical, chemical, and mechanical arts.

Ms. Schafer’s expertise includes drafting and negotiating domestic and international technology transfer agreements, joint venture agreements, asset purchase and supply agreements, engineering and development agreements, patent and know-how licenses, among others. Ms. Schafer has considerable experience with government contract issues such as those arising under the Bayh-Dole Act and American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Ms. Schafer’s work also includes analyzing and opining on questions of patentability, preparing and filing U.S., international and foreign patent applications, preparing petitions and appeals, and rendering opinions on issues pertaining to patent law. She routinely conducts examiner interviews and responds to Office Actions with amendments and arguments to advance prosecution through issuance.

EXPERIENCE:

Prior to law school, Ms. Schafer performed research in the biological sciences. Her work included extensive biochemistry and molecular biology research in both eukaryotic and prokaryotic systems as well as in immunology. Ms. Schafer gained broad biotechnology experience as an undergraduate at the University of Iowa, working in various molecular biology laboratories focused on research including: wound healing in the fetal mouse model, bacterial recombination, and tissue and organ typing. After graduating, Ms. Schafer was awarded an Emerging Infectious Diseases Fellowship by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. After completing the one year Fellowship, Ms. Schafer worked for several years as a research specialist for John S. (Pete) Lollar, M.D. in the Winship Cancer Institute. There she gained extensive experience in molecular biology and immunology through participating in the development of low immunogenic, low antigenic, and hybrid human/animal factor VIII molecules and designing efficacy trials in chimeric mice.

During law school, Ms. Schafer was an extern law clerk for the Honorable Jack T. Camp, United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. During her externship she assisted the judge by drafting opinions, memorandum of law, and orders for the judge’s final approval, including claim construction and summary invalidation of a patent.

PROFESSIONAL:

Admitted: 2005, Illinois; registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Member: Licensing Executive Society; International Trademark Association (committee member); National Association of Women Lawyers.

Adjunct Professor: Chicago-Kent College of Law, Chicago, IL. 2008 – present.

EDUCATION:

J.D., magna cum laude, 2005, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA; Editor, Georgia State University Law Review; M.S., Biology (biochemistry/molecular biology), 2002, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA; B.S., Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA.

HONORS:

Illinois Super Lawyers, Rising Stars, 2009, 2010