John R. Wetherell, Ph.D.
Partner

Dr. Wetherell has over 20 years' experience in intellectual property law. His counseling experience includes intellectual property acquisition, transactional due diligence, patent infringement and validity analyses, freedom-to-operate opinions, as well as licensing and strategic counseling. Dr. Wetherell’s patent prosecution experience includes obtaining US and foreign protection in biotechnology areas such as molecular biology, immunology, nanotechnology, medical diagnostics, microbiology and pharmacology. He also evaluates intellectual property portfolios for both companies and investors.

At Pillsbury, Dr. Wetherell is the partner in charge of the Intellectual Property practice in the San Diego office, coleader of the national Life Science industry group, coleader of the national Nanotechnology industry group, and a member of the Climate Change and Sustainability practice group.

Dr. Wetherell is also the leader of the Stem Cell Outlook and Planning Effort (SCOPE). This group was established to provide multidisciplinary legal services to clients in this promising new area of technology.

Dr. Wetherell received a B.S. in Chemistry, and a Ph.D. in Microbiology/ Immunology, both from the University of Florida, and a J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law. He conducted postdoctoral research, including studies on the humoral and cellular immune responses in periodontal disease, at Forsyth Dental Center in Boston, where he concurrently held an NIH post-doctoral fellowship and a Young Principal Investigator’s award. Before becoming an attorney, he gained extensive experience as a research scientist and manager during his five-year tenure in the biotechnology industry.

Dr. Wetherell has written and lectured extensively for organizations and institutions around the world on patent law, biotechnology patent law, IP strategy, and related IP transactional issues.

• Legal 500 US, Intellectual Property (2008-2011)
• PLC Which Lawyer?, Life Sciences: Patent Counseling—National (2012)
• Top Lawyers in San Diego, San Diego Magazine (2013)
• Life Science Star, LMG Life Sciences (2012)
• Top Rated Lawyers Guide to Healthcare Law, Corporate Counsel (2012)
• Leading Portfolio Managers, Patent Prosecutors & Litigators List, Daily Journal (2008)

San Diego Bar Association, American Intellectual Property Association, Licensing Executive Society, Association of University Technology Managers, American Society of Microbiology, American Chemical Society, American Association for Clinical Chemistry, Corporate Directors Forum, Biotechnology Industry Organization, UCSD Athena