Deborah A. Somerville

Deborah A. Somerville

Deborah A. Somerville has substantial experience in the management, protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights for major U.S. and foreign clients.  Her practice focuses on the issues confronting clients in the pharmaceutical, biotech, chemical and medical device industries. The contributions she has made to the life sciences community were recently recognized by the New York Biotechnology Association, which awarded Ms. Somerville the 2011 "The Cure Starts Here" Business Leaders of the Year award.

Ms. Somerville counsels clients on the validity, scope, enforceability and transfer of intellectual property rights.  She actively guides clients in introducing new products and in developing intellectual property strategies and portfolios.  While successfully procuring commercially significant patents, she has supervised the drafting of applications and their prosecution, including inter partes proceedings.  She also negotiates licenses and conducts due diligence for major corporate transactions.  In addition, Ms. Somerville has considerable experience in patent litigation before the federal courts. 

Ms. Somerville's combination of experience enables her to provide legal advice that considers the full range of issues and options available to clients. Representative clients include biotech companies, research hospitals and universities, as well as manufacturers of pharmaceuticals, polymers and specialty chemicals.

Ms. Somerville is currently a member of the Kenyon & Kenyon Life Sciences/Chemical Practice Group.  She is involved in the New York Biotechnology Association (NYBA), Biotechnology Industry Association (BIO), New York Intellectual Property Law Association (NYIPLA), the American Bar Association (ABA) (Intellectual Property Law and Litigation Sections) and the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA).  She is also a member of the New York Academy of Science.

Ms. Somerville is a United States contributing author for Pharmaceutical, Biotechnology, and Chemical Inventions: World Protection and Exploitation, which was published by Oxford University Press in February 2011.