Biography
Jeffrey Sharp is the Managing Partner of Marshall Gerstein. He is a registered patent attorney with more than 30 years of experience in patent prosecution, litigation and transactional work who focuses his practice in the areas of biotechnology, chemistry, and chemical engineering.
Jeff has handled matters in a wide variety of biotechnology disciplines, such as pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, and gene therapy; recombinant nucleic acid technologies, including plant biotechnology; and in-vivo and in-vitro diagnostic and gene-sequencing methods. He has also gained successful outcomes in diverse chemical and chemical engineering technologies, including organic, inorganic, and metallurgical chemistry; chemical and metallurgical processing; and food and beverage chemistry.
Jeff is recognized as a committed advocate on behalf of the firm’s clients, qualities recognized by his Martindale-Hubbell® AV Peer Review Rating™ and other recognitions. He was selected by the Chicago Law Bulletin as a “Leading Lawyer” and in recognition of his outstanding patent work in life sciences, has been featured since 2012 as a “Life Sciences Star” in LMG Life Sciences. He was selected for inclusion in the Super Lawyers® lists since 2013. Only five percent of the lawyers in the state were selected for this honor. He was also selected by his peers for inclusion The Best Lawyers in America© since 2016 in the practice area of Patent Law. Since 2013, Jeff has been recognized as an “IP Star” in the Managing Intellectual Property IP Stars Survey, and selected as one of the “World’s Leading Patent Practitioners” by Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) magazine.
Representative Experience
- Provide counsel to create an important patent portfolio for a company with innovative chemical technologies useful for industrial and food uses.
- Successfully prosecuted patents for improved drug discovery technologies as well as for important tissue transplantation screening technologies.
Jeff has handled matters in a wide variety of biotechnology disciplines, such as:
- Pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals and gene therapy.
- Recombinant nucleic acid technologies, including plant biotechnology.
- In-vivo and in-vitro diagnostic and gene-sequencing methods.
He has also gained successful outcomes in diverse chemical and chemical engineering technologies, including:
- Organic, inorganic and metallurgical chemistry.
- Chemical and metallurgical processing.
- Food and beverage chemistry.
Background and Credentials
Beyond his extensive prosecution, counseling and opinion experience in these technologies, Jeff has participated in numerous inter partes patent matters including patent infringement litigation before U.S. District Courts, patent interference proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and patent opposition work before foreign patent offices.
Jeff received his J.D. from the University of Georgia School of Law in 1984. He received his B.S.E. in chemical engineering from Princeton University in 1980.
Education
- University of Georgia School of Law (J.D.)
- Princeton University (B.S.E.)
- Chemical Engineering
Bar Admissions
Publications and Presentations
- "The Business Side Of Law: Jeffrey S. Sharp Of Marshall Gerstein & Borun On 5 Things You Need To Create Or Lead A Successful Law Firm," Authority Magazine, September 24, 2022 (featured quotes).
- "The Value of Intellectual Property to Investors," Keiretsu Forum Midwest Thought Leadership Series, Co-Presenter, April 16, 2021.
- "Marshall Gerstein Got Creative to Stay Connected, Managing Partner Says," The Mid-Market Report, April 8, 2021 (featured quotes).
- "Managing Expectations: Associate-to-Partner Pipeline (Bridge to Partnership)," Speaker, Law Firm Compensation Strategy: A Virtual Think-Tank Conference, January 27, 2021.
- "Mid-sized law firms – competitive and innovation strategies," contributed to Chapter 6 of Competitive Strategies for Mid-Sized Law Firms, 2019.
Community and Professional Involvement
- Member and former Chairman, Board of Directors of PilotLegis RPG
- Trustee and former Chairman, Board of Trustees of The Latin School of Chicago
- Mentor at the mentorship academy of the Chicago Committee on Minorities in Large Law Firms
- Executive Leadership Team for the Heart Innovation Forum
- Executives' Club of Chicago
- The Economic Club of Chicago
- Co-Class Agent for his Princeton class
- Previously: Chairman of the Committee to Nominate Alumni Trustees for Princeton University and President of The Princeton Club of Chicago
- Keiretsu Forum, Chicago/Midwest Chapter – IP Due Diligence