CHICAGO – Neal Gerber Eisenberg is pleased to announce the addition of Jeffrey S. Ward as a partner in the Intellectual Property practice group. Before joining NGE, Jeff was a partner at Green, Griffith & Borg-Breen, and Merchant & Gould.

A registered patent attorney with nearly four decades of experience, Jeff focuses on patent and trade secret litigation and strategic counseling related to pharmaceutical, chemical, biotechnology, electrical engineering, agricultural, and food products.

“I am excited to welcome Jeff to the firm’s intellectual property practice,” said Robert Gerber, Managing Partner of Neal Gerber Eisenberg. “Jeff has successfully represented both patent owners and challengers through all stages of federal litigation and appeals, and he will be a terrific asset to our life sciences clients.”

A significant portion of Jeff’s practice includes advising pharmaceutical clients regarding the evaluation of product candidates and formulation and implementation of both patent challenge and defense strategies, including advising on associated FDA issues. He has also handled all aspects of pharmaceutical patent infringement cases concerning the Hatch-Waxman Act and has litigated disputes in various federal courts throughout the United States and before the International Trade Commission. Jeff has served as lead counsel in both bench and jury trials and has extensive experience leading numerous patent appeals, including before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

“Jeff’s counseling and litigation experience will be a great advantage to our IP clients,” said Thomas McDonough, co-chair of the firm's Intellectual Property practice group. “He strengthens our patent litigation capabilities with his broad trial and appellate experience for clients in an array of industries.”

Ward received his J.D. from the University of Illinois College of Law and his B.S. in chemical engineering with distinction from the University of Illinois.