Dr. Lisa Hillman’s deep understanding of how the law applies to scientific innovation allows her to address clients’ needs effectively. She helps them navigate the complexities of protecting their inventions and ensure their breakthroughs have the strongest legal foundation.

With more than 20 years of experience in intellectual property law, Dr. Hillman’s practice focuses on strategic patent counseling both domestically and internationally, concentrating on the life sciences industry. She advises start-ups, universities and global pharmaceutical companies in the following areas:

  • Due diligence reviews
  • Freedom-to-operate opinions
  • Infringement opinions
  • Patent prosecution
  • Patent portfolio management
  • Patent validity opinions

Dr. Hillman has successfully represented clients across a wide range of highly targeted fields, including:

  • Agriculture
  • Antibody therapeutics
  • Bioinformatics
  • Biosensors
  • CAR T-cell technologies
  • CRISPR technologies
  • Human and veterinary diagnostics
  • Fermentation technologies
  • Food processing technologies
  • Human and veterinary diagnostics
  • Human gene therapy
  • Immunotherapy
  • Liposomes
  • Medical devices
  • Molecular biology
  • Orthobiologics
  • Personal diagnostics
  • Personalized medicine
  • Pharmaceuticals
  • Proteomics
  • RNA interference (RNAi)technologies
  • Tissue scaffolds

Located in Boston, Dr. Hillman focuses on biotechnology and life sciences, including innovations such as mRNA, CRISPR and CAR T therapies. Her knowledge has earned her invitations to speak at prominent industry events, including ACI’s 13th Summit on Biosimilars & Innovator Biologics in Boston, where she led a workshop on leveraging IP protections for the successful commercialization of emerging biotechnologies. She has also contributed to critical discussions on patenting strategies in the biotech field, including serving as a panelist at the USPTO’s AI and Emerging Technologies Partnership Series in San Diego and at ACI’s Advanced Summit on Life Sciences Patents in New York City.

In recognition of her contributions to the intellectual property landscape, Dr. Hillman was named a “Shining Light” in World Intellectual Property Review’s 2023 listing of influential women in IP, underscoring her impact on shaping the future of IP law in the life sciences sector.

Areas of Focus

Services

Sectors

Credentials

Education

  • University of Florida Levin College of Law (J.D., with honors, 1998)
  • University of Florida (Ph.D., Microbiology, 1995)
    • USDA Predoctoral Fellowship
  • University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh (B.S., Microbiology and Public Health, Cellular Biology, 1989)

Admissions

Bar Admissions

  • District of Columbia
  • Illinois
  • Massachusetts
  • U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Court Admissions

  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit

Recognitions

  • World Intellectual Property Review, "Shining Light," 2023

Presentations

  • Co-presenter, "The Best and Proven Strategies for Ownership and Inventorship Analyses," 6th Annual Summit on Life Sciences IP Due Diligence, November 29, 2023
  • Panelist, "Avoiding Labels – Application Drafting Strategies," USPTO Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Emerging Technologies (ET) Partnership Series #2: AI & Biotech, September 22, 2023
  • Panelist, "CRISPR, CAR T and mRNA: Scrutinizing Recent Life Sciences IP Controversies to Develop a New Way Forward," American Conference Institute's 21st Advanced Summit on Life Sciences Patents, May 19, 2023
  • Panelist, "Patenting mRNA, CRISPR, and Emerging Biotechnological Inventions: Harnessing IP Protections to Ensure Successful Commercialization of New Technologies," ACI's 13th Summit on Biosimilars & Innovator Biologics, June 27, 2023
  • Panelist, "Application Drafting Strategies," USPTO Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Emerging Technologies (ET) Partnership Series #2: AI & Biotech: Avoiding Labels, September 22, 2022

Community Involvement

  • Women in Bio - Boston Chapter, 2019-present
    • Chair, 2023-present
    • Vice Chair, 2020-2022
    • Membership Committee Chair, 2018-2020