Deborah Vernon

Deborah assists clients in obtaining and enforcing intellectual property rights in both the US, and abroad. Her practice is focused on chemical and mechanical arts. She has particular experience with drafting, prosecuting and maintaining patents in the technology fields of metallurgy, superconductors, semiconductors, photovoltatics, plasma science, ceramics, thin film technology, nanophase materials, composite materials, spectroscopy, analytical chemistry, medical devices and instrumentation, and mechanical engineering. Deborah serves as Office Managing Partner of the firm's Boston office.

Deborah has successfully represented clients in patent appeals, patent reissues and re-examination proceedings before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. She has litigated numerous contested matters before the PTAB and handled PTAB appeals to the Federal Circuit.

In addition to handling, and advising clients on, prosecution matters, Deborah advises and prepares for clients patentability, infringement, validity, and freedom-to-operate opinions. Deborah also conducts intellectual property due diligence for corporate financing transactions and drafts technology and intellectual property licenses and product development agreements.

Deborah obtained her doctorate degree in material science from Brown University, where she conducted research on thin films and ceramic materials. This research led her to develop novel processing techniques for controlling grain growth during the densification of nanophase ceramic compacts using chemical vapor infiltration.