Mitchell Katz

Mitchell A. Katz is the immediate past Chair of Ballard Spahr’s Intellectual Property Department and has served as leader of the firm’s Patents Group and Chemical Patent Team. He is a member of the Chemical and Pharmaceutical Patent team.

Mitch serves as patent counsel to numerous chemical and pharmaceutical companies ranging from large multinational corporations to small start-ups and various universities. He focuses on domestic and international patent procurement, client counseling, and opinion writing, as well as post-grant patent office proceedings and international oppositions.

Mitch has been an expert witness in a patent and trade secret litigation and is a frequent speaker at conferences on the subject of patent protection for chemical inventions.

Before entering private practice, he worked in the chemical industry for both E. I. du Pont de Nemours, Inc., and The Dow Chemical Company, and was a patent examiner for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in the chemical arts.

Mitch was an adjunct professor of patent law at Emory University School of Law from 1996-2016. Mitch is active in and proud of his pro bono work, having recently worked on two Syrian asylum cases and one Congolese asylum case.

As a result of this work, the firm received the 2015 Pro Bono Law Firm of the Year award from the Georgia Asylum and Immigration Network (GAIN). Additionally, Mitch is the lead Ballard Spahr partner handling GAIN cases for immigrant victims of human trafficking, domestic violence, sexual assault, and other crimes.

Professional Activities :

• American Bar Association
• American Chemical Society, Division of Chemistry and Law
• American Institute of Chemical Engineers
• Association of University Technology Managers
• Federal Circuit Bar Association
• Intellectual Property Owners

Board Memberships :

• Emory IP Society Advisory Board
• Virginia Tech Campaign, Atlanta Region, Chair

EDUCATION :

• Georgetown University Law Center (J.D. 1992)
• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (B.S., chemical engineering, 1984, cum laude)

ADMISSIONS : Georgia, Virginia, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office