🧬Kate Neville - Part 2 | Navigating Law School as a Scientist | From Patent Agent to Lawyer | Thriving at the Intersection of Science & Law | Continuous Learning in Diverse Scientific Fields

The Biotech Startups Podcast

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Part 2 of 4: Jon Chee hosts Kate Neville, Partner at Marshall Gerstein—a law firm with over 60 years of expertise in delivering sophisticated intellectual property advice and legal services to leading businesses, research institutions, universities, and entrepreneurs worldwide.

Kate, an accomplished attorney with a doctoral background in microbiology and immunology, specializes in global patent prosecution and strategic management. With over a decade of experience, she works with biotech startups, big pharma, and non-profits. Kate has been recognized as a "World's Leading Patent Practitioner" by IAM magazine since 2013, an Illinois Super Lawyer since 2018, and is included in The Best Lawyers in America© for Patent Law.

Join us this week to hear about:

• Kate's transition from patent agent to lawyer, highlighting challenges of pursuing a law degree while working full-time
• The culture shock scientists face in law school, adjusting to ambiguity and lack of definitive answers
• The extensive reading required in law school compared to scientific literature, requiring a different approach
• The collegial culture at Kate's law firm, fostering an environment where former scientists can thrive
• How patent law work provides exposure to diverse scientific fields, offering continuous learning opportunities

Please enjoy Jon’s conversation with Kate Neville.

Subscribe to the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-biotech-startups-podcast/id1679591994

Find Our Guest, Kate Neville, at these links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-neville-phd/

https://www.marshallip.com/

Find Our Host, Jon Chee, at these links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonchee

https://www.excedr.com

Excedr Socials & Website

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/excedr/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@excedr

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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/excedr

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@excedr

Podcast Website: https://www.thebiotechstartupspodcast.com/

Enriched Notes:

Topics Mentioned:

Marshall, Gerstein & Borun https://www.marshallip.com/

Business Entities & Their Differences https://www.excedr.com/resources/what-are-the-differences-between-business-entities

Intellectual Property 101: Types & Uses https://www.excedr.com/resources/intellectual-property-guide

How to Protect Your Intellectual Property in the Life Sciences https://www.excedr.com/resources/how-to-protect-your-intellectual-property

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

02:24 Kate discusses taking the patent bar and transitioning from patent agent to pursuing law school

04:14 Experience of working full-time while attending law school at night

06:56 Challenges scientists face when transitioning to law school, particularly dealing with ambiguity

09:28 Discussion about the different types of reading required in law school versus scientific papers

12:20 Kate describes her law firm's culture and what made her stay throughout her career

16:02 Benefits of having broad scientific knowledge and crossdisciplinary experience

18:49 Working with scientist clients and keeping up with evolving technologies

20:05 Outro

The Biotech Startups Podcast gives you a front-row seat to the business and science of building a biotech. Hosted by Jon Chee, CEO of Excedr, the show features honest conversations with founders, execs, and investors about their work, their companies, and how they got there. From scientific breakthroughs to startup lessons, each episode explores what it really takes to grow a life science company—from pre-seed to IPO.