Chemistry & Materials

The Chemistry & Materials Group at Stites & Harbison is composed of highly experienced attorneys and patent agents dedicated to protecting innovation across the chemical sciences. Our team’s technical expertise covers a broad spectrum of disciplines, including organic, inorganic, polymer, materials, electrochemical, and medicinal chemistry, as well as chemical engineering. We work with a wide range of technologies, such as additive manufacturing, water treatment, carbon capture, medical devices, sensors, advanced materials, specialty chemicals, pharmaceuticals, ceramics, catalysts, and electrochemical systems (including batteries, fuel cells, and electrolyzers).

Members of our team have deep roots in the sciences, bringing a strong combination of academic achievement and practical experience to their work. Many hold advanced degrees – master’s and Ph.D.s – including in the disciplines of organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry, and polymer science. Their backgrounds include hands-on laboratory research, industry experience, and prior service as examiners at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). This depth of technical expertise enables our team to engage meaningfully with cutting-edge technologies, collaborate effectively with inventors, and deliver sophisticated intellectual property (IP) strategies tailored to each client’s needs.

We represent a diverse client base in the chemical arts, including global corporations, leading research institutions, and emerging early-stage technology companies. A significant part of our practice involves working with startups spun out of top-ranked universities, helping these institutions build and protect foundational IP from the earliest stages of development. We provide comprehensive intellectual property services, including patent preparation and prosecution; freedom-to-operate, infringement, and patentability analyses; IP due diligence and licensing; post-grant proceedings; litigation support; trademark protection and portfolio management; and strategic IP counseling.

To support our clients in global markets, we maintain strong, longstanding relationships with trusted intellectual property professionals around the world. These collaborations allow us to coordinate foreign patent prosecution, navigate country-specific IP laws, and address region-specific enforcement strategies with confidence and efficiency. Our international network ensures our clients have access to skilled, responsive counsel wherever they do business.

In addition to offices in the major Southeastern cities of Atlanta, Lexington, Louisville, and Nashville, our strategically located office in Alexandria, Virginia, allows Stites & Harbison attorneys to have in-person visits with Patent Examiners at the USPTO to discuss cases and advance our clients’ positions. Our newest office in Hartford, Connecticut, expands our presence in the Northeast and is located just over an hour from Massachusetts’ Route 128, often referred to as “America’s Technology Region.”

Chemistry & Materials is part of Stites & Harbison’s larger, Intellectual Property and Technology (IPT) Group, which includes more than 20 attorneys and agents – many of whom are Registered U.S. Patent Attorneys – with experience spanning all technical disciplines. Our IPT Group uses a team approach to provide clients with comprehensive intellectual property services. Our attorneys and agents practice throughout the nation and the world in the areas of patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, licensing, computer software, e-commerce, and intellectual property litigation.

Main Contacts

Member

Grant

M.

Ehrlich

Ph.D.

Richard

S.

Myers

Jr.

Kimberly

Vines

Ph.D.