Debra Leith, Special Counsel

Debra K. Leith is Special Counsel in the Life Sciences practice group and a member of the Cooley Business department. She joined the Firm in 2008 and is resident in the Seattle office.

Dr. Leith has over 20 years of experience in the intellectual property and life sciences fields of law. She uses her broad professional experience in advising and counseling clients in a spectrum of life sciences transactions, from non-disclosure and technology licensing agreements to strategic alliances to intellectual property analyses and strategy. She represents a variety of life sciences clients, from start-ups to global pharmaceutical companies.

Prior to joining the Firm, she was Special Counsel to Heller Ehrman. Previously, she served as Vice President of the Intellectual Property Group for ZymoGenetics, Inc., a large biotechnology company in Seattle. In this capacity, she was primarily responsible for corporate agreements and licensing arrangements.

Dr. Leith has a Ph.D. in Medical Microbiology, is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and has extensive in-house counsel experience.  Dr. Leith has been a speaker at various local and national meetings and seminars.

Dr. Leith earned her J.D. from the University of Washington School of Law, where she was a member of the Washington Law Review. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Oregon Health Sciences Center, and also has a B.A. from Linfield College. 

Dr. Leith is admitted to practice in Washington and the District of Columbia. Her memberships include the Washington State Bar Association, the District of Columbia Bar, the American Intellectual Property Law Association (Biotechnology Committee), the Washington State Patent Law Association, the Association of Corporate Patent Counsel, and the Licensing Executives Society.

Education

  • University of Washington School of Law
    JD, 1987
  • University of Oregon Health Sciences Center
    PHD, 1979
  • Linfield College
    BA, 1974

Admissions

  • District of Columbia
  • Washington

Memberships

  • American Bar Association
  • American Intellectual Property Law Association
  • Association of Corporate Patent Counsel
  • District of Columbia Bar Association
  • Licensing Executive Society
  • Washington State Bar Association
  • Washington State Patent Law Association
Seattle
719 Second Avenue
Suite 900
Seattle, Washington 98104-1732

Phone: +1 206 452 8761
Fax: +1 206 452 8800
dleith@cooley.com
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