Biography: Patents

Thomas J Kowalski is a shareholder in the intellectual property group of Vedder Price PC, a general practice law firm with offices in London, Chicago, New York, and Washington, DC. The firm's intellectual property group handles all aspects of intellectual property law.

Mr Kowalski has been in practice for over 25 years and is well known for his work in biotechnology, chemical and medical apparatus litigation, interferences, counselling, patent prosecution and licensing. He is admitted to practise before the US Patent and Trademark Office, the courts of New York State, the US Federal Courts for the Southern, Eastern and Western Districts of New York, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the US Supreme Court. He has appeared before the US Multidistrict Litigation Panel as well as in jurisdictions and proceedings throughout the world.

Mr Kowalski serves as a member of the editorial boards of the Journal of Commercial Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Patent Analyst as well as an intellectual property editorial adviser for Nature Biotechnology. He has spoken at conferences and conventions sponsored by the Biotechnology Industry Organization, the American Conference Institute and C5. He has been listed multiple times in the New York Super Lawyers Metro editions. Mr Kowalski has also given testimony to the US Patent and Trademark Office on prior user rights (quoted in the USPTO's Report to Congress) and genetic diagnostic testing (quoted in a number of press pieces).

Mr Kowalski graduated from New York University with an American Chemistry Society-certified BS in chemistry, studies for which included laboratory research (conducted in cooperation with the Goddard Space Institute and Columbia University) and graduate studies in biochemistry and inorganic chemistry. While at New York University, Mr Kowalski was awarded a National Science Foundation Grant for Laboratory Research, which was performed at Hunter College. The results of this research were published in The Journal of Organic Chemistry. Mr Kowalski was further awarded his juris doctorate, cum laude, from St John's University. Mr Kowalski is also an adjunct professor at the Polytechnic Institute of New York University in Brooklyn, NY.