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Michael Best is pleased to announce the addition of Eric Zylstra as Senior Counsel in the firm’s Intellectual Property Practice Group, based out of the Chicago Office. Zylstra joins Michael Best’s team with a distinguished background in domestic and international patent prosecution and intellectual property law, strengthening the firm’s multidisciplinary team of IP practitioners focused on the life sciences industry.

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Eric Zylstra specializes in patent prosecution, due diligence for licensing, acquisitions and mergers, and providing opinions on invalidity, patentability, non-infringement, and inventorship. He has extensive experience prosecuting and evaluating patents in multiple technological areas, including small molecules, pharmaceutical and agricultural formulations, polymers, biotechnology, dyes, and batteries.

“Eric’s comprehensive knowledge of patent law, coupled with his advanced study of synthetic chemistry and biological expertise, makes him an invaluable addition to our firm,” said Kevin P. Moran, Co-Chair of Michael Best’s Intellectual Property Practice Group. “His strategic approach to client service will bolster our ability to provide top-tier counsel to our clients in the life sciences sector, helping them tackle complex patent landscapes and protect their innovations.”

Zylstra joins Michael Best from an Am Law 100 firm, Squire Patton Boggs LLP, where he was a member of the firm’s Intellectual Property &amp; Technology Practice Group. Before that, he worked at Kilpatrick Townsend &amp; Stockton LLP from 2006 to 2020, where Zylstra started as a Technical Advisor, then worked up to a Patent Agent, Summer Associate, and eventually became an Associate. Zylstra’s earlier career includes roles as a Senior Scientist and Scientist at ChemRx, a Division of Discovery Partners International, and a Postdoctoral Fellow in Chemistry at the University of Tokyo.

“We are delighted to add another life sciences attorney to our Chicago office,” said Kerryann Haase Minton, Managing Partner of Michael Best’s Chicago office. “Eric’s experience and unique skill set are a tremendous asset in a highly specialized area of law.”

Zylstra has represented clients in several notable matters, including:

Co-devised the patent portfolio strategy for a startup company focusing on small-molecule drugs and antibacterial compounds, successfully securing the allowance of its first patent (U.S. Pat. No. 8,853,278) in about six months.

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Co-developed a new theory of patentability for a client’s method-of-use patent (U.S. Pat. No. 6,284,770) covering an already-marketed drug, extending its patent protection and allowing re-listing of the reexamined patent in the Orange Book.

Drafted and prosecuted U.S., foreign, and international applications for a range of chemical and biological inventions, including pharmaceutical compounds and formulations, other compounds and formulations (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 8,481,752), and polymers.<br>

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Zylstra earned a J.D. from the University of San Francisco School of Law in 2013. He also graduated with a Ph.D. in Synthetic Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley in 1998 and earned B.S. degrees in Chemistry and Literature from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1992. Zylstra is admitted to practice in Illinois and California and is also admitted to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Wooden letter tiles spelling the word ‘WELCOME’ arranged on a dark blue surface.

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Kevin P. Moran

Kerryann Haase Minton

Eric J. Zylstra, Ph.D.

Intellectual Property

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