Michelle’s practice focuses on the biochemical, chemical and pharmaceutical arts as well as trademark procurement. She regularly counsels clients regarding various intellectual property matters, notably through the rendering of infringement, patentability and validity opinions, and especially those related to Hatch-Waxman/ANDA market entry for pharmaceutical companies.

Michelle also has substantial experience in preparing and prosecuting patent applications in the U.S. and abroad in a wide variety of chemical, biological, and biotechnological fields. In addition, Michelle has significant experience in preparing and prosecuting trademark applications and handling trademark disputes, including oppositions and infringement disputes. She also regularly counsels clients regarding trademark matters, including management of a large international trademark portfolio.

Prior to entering the legal field, Michelle completed her Ph.D. in Chemical Biology. Her doctoral research was divided between two projects: first, small molecule synthesis and development of novel pharmaceutical agents; second the use of radiochemical synthetic methods, including cyclotron production of radioisotopes and synthetic radiochemistry, to develop novel positron emission tomography (PET) imaging agents, which led to 11 peer-reviewed journal publications. Michelle also spent time as a research associate at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory where she developed radioisotope purification methods as part of the Stockpile Stewardship Program.