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Overview

Matt is a seasoned intellectual property litigator and cannabis attorney with extensive trial and post-grant experience involving a variety of technologies. He helps clients protect their businesses, innovations, and practices by having an intimate understanding of their technology and business goals, implementing creative and thoughtful dispute resolution strategies, and developing sophisticated intellectual property tactics.​

Matt is a registered patent attorney with a background in molecular and cellar biology and an advanced degree in medical cannabis sciences. On the litigation front, Matt advocates for clients in patent litigation and post-grant proceedings, including ITC litigation and disputes arising under the Hatch-Waxman Act. Regarding his cannabis practice, Matt earned his M.S. in Medical Cannabis Sciences and Therapeutics, developing a heightened understanding of the scientific and clinical uses of the cannabis plant to augment his legal perspectives on cannabis-related issues and counsel cannabis clients regarding the same. 

Clients also value Matt's prior experience as patent counsel in the oncology division of one of the world's leading biopharmaceutical companies, where he oversaw and developed the patent estates of oncology pipeline biologics and was lead IP counsel on numerous intellectual property transactions—including IP discovery, tech transfer, and licensing agreements. 

Matt has extensive experience developing global patent prosecution strategies, drafting legal opinions and intellectual property agreements, and performing patentability and freedom-to-operate analyses. He has extensive experience with numerous and diverse technologies, including but not limited to:

  • Pharmaceuticals & biologics
  • Chemotherapeutics (both large and small molecule)
  • Cannabis (including cannabinoid-centric compositions and extraction and purification of cannabinoids)
  • Antibodies and derivatives thereof
  • Cell-based therapeutics (including CAR-T cells)
  • Host cells, genetic vectors and vaccines
  • Recombinants (including plant-expressed, recombinant proteins)
  • Medical devices
  • Air conditioning systems
  • Diesel engines
  • Polymers
  • Inflatable devices (e.g., air mattresses)

Outside of his legal practice, Matt is an adjunct faculty member at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, where he developed and teaches a course on state and federal cannabis laws and policies.

Industries

Services

Recognition

  • Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America
    • Intellectual Property Law, 2023-2025
    • Litigation - Intellectual Property, 2021-2025
  • Illinois Super Lawyers
    • Rising Star, 2021-2023

Education

  • J.D., University of Illinois College of Law
    • cum laude
  • M.S., University of Maryland School of Pharmacy
    • Medical Cannabis Sciences and Therapeutics
  • B.S., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
    • magna cum laude
    • Bronze Tablet
    • Phi Beta Kappa
    • Molecular and Cellular Biology

Admissions

  • Illinois
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
  • U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

The way Husch Blackwell leadership has handled our mental health, our safety, our families – they are unbelievably concerned about us.

Experience
  • Representing the complainants in Certain Marine Air Conditioning Systems, Components Thereof, and Products Containing the Same, Inv. No. 337-TA-1346.
  • Successfully represented the complainant, Ventria Bioscience Inc., in Certain Plant-Derived Recombinant Human Serum Albumins & Products Containing Same, Inv. No. 337-TA-1238, a case involving patent infringement and false designation of origin against a Wuhan, China-based competitor (a company founded by a former employee of Ventria) and its U.S. distributors. The case went to trial in November 2021. In September 2022, the ITC found all respondents in violation of Section 337 and issued remedial orders that exclude the infringing and mislabeled products from the U.S. market. This high-profile case dovetails with broader policy issues between the U.S. and China relating to trade and intellectual property; as such, it attracted attention from the media and from many bipartisan elected officials and trade groups.
  • Successfully defended Sigmapharm Laboratories, LLC in connection with its application for approval of a generic version of the antidepressant vortioxetine.
  • Defended leading automotive manufacturer against engine component patent infringement claims and successfully rendered patent-in-suit unpatentable on multiple grounds at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB).
  • Advised leading biosimilar client regarding litigation strategies for multiple biopharmaceuticals subject to the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation (BPCIA) Act.
  • Managed the global patent prosecution and post-grant strategies for variety of cutting-edge, biologic pipeline products in collaboration with scientists, regulatory agencies, marketing strategists and other key personnel during product discovery and clinical development.
News Releases | December 06, 2021
Husch Blackwell Elects 36 to 2022 Partnership Class
News Releases | October 15, 2021
Husch Blackwell Scores Victory for Sigmapharm in Hatch-Waxman Litigation

Husch Blackwell successfully defended Sigmapharm Laboratories, LLC in connection with its application for approval of a generic version of the antidepressant vortioxetine.

Media Mentions | October 2020
Best Lawyers® 2021: The Midwest Issue
Outside the Office

Matt enjoys spending time with his wife and two boys, trying to create the perfect burger, cartooning, writing, and playing basketball. ​

Community Leadership

Matt regularly donates his legal skills to pro bono cases.

He has represented multiple inmates alleging constitutional violations arising from their medical care and conditions of confinement. He has also worked with Wills for Heroes, drafting wills for law enforcement personnel.