Fish & Richardson principal Chad Shear has been named an “Intellectual Property (IP) Trailblazer” by The National Law Journal (NLJ). Shear was included for “deep passion and perseverance in pursuit of his mission” and for “having achieved remarkable successes.” This year’s IP Trailblazers list was culled from hundreds of nominations of leaders in patent, copyright, trademark, and trade secret law.
Shear is a leader in Fish’s life sciences and pharmaceutical litigation section. Described as “practical,” “pragmatic” and a “go-to guy for complex patent matters,” Shear has handled litigation for pharmaceutical giants Sunovion, Dainippon Sumitomo \ Pharma, Gilead Sciences, and Allergan pertaining to their life-saving drugs.
The NLJ highlighted Fish’s long-time client Gilead Sciences and its massive worldwide dispute with Idenix, which Shear calls the case of a lifetime. “I was able to do something few have done: coordinate trials, themes and witness testimony across international jurisdictions all with differing legal standards,” said Shear, who ultimately helped reverse a $2.5 billion jury verdict against Gilead – the largest patent damages award in history.
In total, Shear has participated in more than a dozen trials, domestically and internationally, both as lead trial counsel and as a member of the trial team. In addition to his courtroom work, Shear teaches life sciences trial and patent practice courses around the country.
Last year, Shear was also recognized by the NLJ as a Winning Litigator. San Diego Metro Magazine named him to its list of Best Attorneys and The Daily Journal recognized him as one of itsCalifornia Lawyer Attorneys of the Year. Shear has also been named a “Life Sciences Star” by LMG Life Sciences and the “Best for Life Sciences & Pharmaceutical Litigation – California” by Wealth & Finance. He has also been awarded “Sustained Excellence in Patent Litigation” by Corporate America Legal Elite.
Shear received his J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Illinois College of Law in 1999 and his B.S. in chemistry from Texas A&M University in 1996.
Fish & Richardson, a premier global intellectual property law firm, is sought-after and trusted by the world’s most innovative brands and influential technology leaders. Fish offers patent prosecution, counseling and litigation; trademark and copyright prosecution, counseling and litigation; and commercial litigation services. Our deep bench of attorneys with first-chair trial experience in every technology makes us the go-to firm for the most technically complex cases. We have an established reputation as a top-tier firm for patent portfolio planning, strategy and prosecution, as well as post-grant proceedings at the PTAB. Fish was established in 1878, and now has more than 400 attorneys and technology specialists in the U.S., Europe and China. Our success is rooted in our creative and inclusive culture, which values the diversity of people, experiences and perspectives. For more information, visit fr.com or follow us at @FishRichardson.