Practice Areas
avid Cavanaugh has broad legal experience in industry and private practice and provides clients with strategic, business-focused counseling in the procurement, management and exploitation of their intellectual property. He has extensive experience in all aspects of intellectual property practice, including policy analysis, IP litigation, patent procurement, technology transfer, licensing, and due diligence for corporate transactions. Mr. Cavanaugh has developed and implemented international intellectual property strategies suited for companies at all stages, from early startup phase to established business phase.
Before the passage of the America Invents Act (AIA) Mr. Cavanaugh has long standing in policy analysis and comments for post grant proceedings in the US, including reexaminations, and comparative procedures, such as oppositions, around the world. Since the implementation of the AIA, Mr. Cavanaugh has been active in post grant proceedings at the US Patent Office and was recently named as one of the most active attorneys in inter partes review (IPR) by Patexia. He has filed petitions and represented patent owners in a variety of technologies, including life sciences, semiconductors and medical devices, and has been lead counsel or counsel of record on over 400 IPR proceedings. Mr. Cavanaugh has been sought after to speak and consult on post grant proceedings, including strategy development and coordination with other proceedings. He co-leads an annual GW Law Roundtable program, which brings together intellectual property thought leaders to discuss the patent ecosystem.
Mr. Cavanaugh has a deep background advising clients on the interaction between intellectual property, and IP policy regimes, including patent enforcement and multilateral IP frameworks. He has experience delivering concise, policy-ready written and oral guidance in complex environments, coordinate messaging and content across stakeholders with varied objectives. He has extensive experience in analyzing policy issues and the impact of policy on intellectual property strategy development across multiple international jurisdictions.
Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Cavanaugh was a senior patent counsel in the legal department of Boston Scientific Corporation, responsible for the intellectual property matters in the radiology, neurology, urology and endoscopy divisions. Prior to his work with Boston Scientific, Mr. Cavanaugh was associated with Wolf, Greenfield and Sacks in Boston, where he provided patent support to a variety of medical device clients. Mr. Cavanaugh also has been a patent examiner at the Patent Office, where he examined patent applications in a variety of technologies.
Learn more at: https://www.wilmerhale.com/en/people/david-cavanaugh
Personal
JCL, Catholic University of America, 2016
JD, George Washington University Law School, 1994
MA, Washington Theological Union, 1989
BME, Villanova University, 1986
Experience
Mr. Cavanaugh is a sought-after speaker on post-grant proceedings. He developed the post-grant class and curriculum for the American University Washington College of Law, where he taught classes on patent litigation and post-grant proceedings from 2014 to 2024. He has also frequently lectured on patent law–related topics at the New England College of Law.
Mr. Cavanaugh served on the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Medical Device Industry Council for six years, and was also a board member of the New England Business and Technology Association. He has been selected by the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center to serve as a peer reviewer for its Small Business Matching Grant Program, which promotes the life sciences within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Mr. Cavanaugh has previously been a director of the PTAB Bar Association.
