The following is an excerpt from Practice Perspectives: Vault's Guide to Legal Practice Areas.
Shannon Reaney chairs Morrison Foerster’s patent strategy and prosecution group, where she helps life sciences and pharmaceutical companies protect and grow their innovations. She advises both startups and global enterprises on strategic counseling, patent prosecution, and business transactions. Known for translating complex research into practical legal strategies, Shannon bridges the worlds of technology and law, helping move ideas from the lab to the marketplace.
Quinn Walker is an associate in intellectual property (IP) litigation at Morrison Foerster’s Washington, DC, office. Her practice covers contractual disputes, patent litigation, and trade secrets for both life sciences and tech clients at all stages of litigation. She has worked on district court, appellate, and state court litigation, as well as arbitration matters. Previously, she clerked in the Delaware Supreme Court and Federal Circuit.
Describe your practice area and what it entails.
Shannon: I focus on patent law, helping life sciences and pharmaceutical companies protect their scientific breakthroughs. My work includes developing patent strategies, managing global portfolios, and guiding clients through licensing, acquisitions, and due diligence. I collaborate closely with scientists and business leaders to give complex innovations strong legal protections, ensuring that new discoveries can reach the market responsibly and successfully in a rapidly evolving scientific landscape.
Quinn: Intellectual property litigation involves drafting com-plaints, conducting discovery, drafting expert reports, and filing motions. We work with clients from the first point they believe they have a claim all the way through trial. I work directly with clients on case strategy, briefs, and investigations.
What types of clients do you represent?
Shannon: I represent a wide range of clients in the life sciences and pharmaceutical industries, from early-stage startups to established global companies. My clients include innovators developing novel therapeutics, diagnostics, and genetic technologies to treat a wide variety of diseases, as well as investors and research institutions advancing scientific discovery. I enjoy partnering with teams at every stage of growth to help them protect their IP, build strategic portfolios, and bring transformative scientific ideas to patients and markets worldwide.
Quinn: I represent a wide spectrum of clients: life sciences (on the originator and generic side), AI, software, and hardware companies. We work on national and international litigation.
What types of cases/deals do you work on?
Shannon: I help life sciences and pharmaceutical clients protect and maximize the value of their innovative technologies and therapeutic assets. My work includes drafting and prosecuting patent applications, managing global patent portfolios, and conducting due diligence for investments, licensing, and M&A. I also advise on licensing and collaboration agreements, helping clients align their IP strategies with their business objectives. My goal is to ensure that their technologies are positioned for long-term success in competitive scientific markets.
Quinn: Intellectual property litigation can cover anything from trade secrets training and AI copyright to biosimilar cases. I worked on an opposition to a preliminary injunction in a Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act case for Novartis, and our team achieved a finding that Biogen failed to show irreparable harm or a likelihood of success on the merits. I’ve also gone to arbitration with vaccine manufacturers and in disputes over collaboration agreements.
How did you choose this practice area?
Shannon: During graduate school, I realized I didn’t want to spend my career at the lab bench. I saw an ad in Chemical & Engineering News for a patent agent, something I’d never heard of before. It sounded like the perfect blend of science and strategy, and it sparked my interest.
Quinn: I got interested in IP litigation after Myriad v. AMP Genetics in the Supreme Court! I kept pursuing it because you get to learn new things all the time, and the better you understand the subject area, the better set up you are for litigation.
What is a “typical” day like and/or what are some common tasks you perform?
Shannon: For me, as the Chair of the patent strategy and prosecution group, no two days are the same. I meet with partners and business professionals supporting our practice to manage the patent group. I guide my team on complex patent matters, offer strategic advice, and stay connected with clients. I also attend industry events and stay active in the community to ensure our group remains engaged, collaborative, and at the forefront of innovation.
Quinn: On a typical day, I am usually handling three or four cases in different stages. I may be drafting a complaint, reviewing discovery, and responding to motions from the other side. I speak with clients, opposing counsel, and our forensics vendors and juggle these calls and meetings with legal writing. I have a lot of work that is filed in court or arbitration and a lot for internal or client-only use. I get to learn from great senior associates and partners and help guide and give feedback for junior associates. All experience levels work together on filings and projects every day, and our teams have super-fun people to hang out with.
What training, classes, experience, or skills development would you recommend to someone who wishes to enter your practice area?
Shannon: Make sure your technical background qualifies you to take the United States Patent and Trademark Office exam. Get familiar with the patent bar study materials early, as it shows initiative and gives you a head start on the rules and procedures you’ll use every day. Just as important, build strong client service skills in any environment that is available to you. Experience in restaurants, retail, or other service jobs teaches you how to listen, communicate, and problem solve. My years waiting tables prepared me for client work more than any class ever could.
Quinn: Honestly, a love of learning—curiosity for new subjects—will serve you well in IP, because you’re constantly switching topics. Philosophy and English classes help for writing and building your arguments. A Patent Prosecution class can help you see what a process is like from the other side.
What do you like best about your practice area?
Shannon: What I love most about my practice is that it never stands still. Technology and science evolve every day, and the law has to keep pace. I’m constantly learning, whether it’s new patent rules, emerging technologies, or insights from new hires who are just starting their careers. Everyone on the team brings something valuable to the table. No matter how long you have been in the field, there is always something new to discover and someone new to learn from.
Quinn: We get the best of science and the law. You’re constantly getting to see new innovations and be on the cutting edge, but you’re also working to be the best litigator you can be.
What is unique about your practice area at your firm?
Shannon: What makes our practice unique is our combination of creativity and technical depth. We work on our clients’ most valuable technologies and assets, and there’s an expectation that we can handle any challenge that comes our way. Our team is composed of exceptionally talented professionals who began their careers as scientists or engineers, many with a Ph.D. or other advanced degree in their technical field. This deep technical foundation allows us to excel across scientific disciplines, including those with emerging and rapidly evolving technologies.
For example, we work at the intersection of life sciences and high tech, and both fields are being transformed by AI. Our team thrives in this space because we understand the underlying technology at a fundamental level, providing an advantage that’s critical for companies seeking robust, forward-looking IP strategies. We draft patents designed to stand the test of time, collaborate closely with our world-class litigators, and deliver strategic, top-tier service to every client.
Quinn: We get to go to trial a lot. There’s a ton of real-world litigation experience.
What are some typical tasks that a junior lawyer would perform in this practice area?
Shannon: Junior lawyers in our group dive right in. They draft patent applications, respond to office actions, conduct legal research, and assist with due diligence, patentability, and freedom-to-operate analyses. It’s meaningful work from day one. We follow an apprenticeship model through which associates learn by doing, gaining hands-on experience with real clients and real technologies. The more projects they take on, the faster they build the skills and confidence needed to excel in this fast-moving practice.
Quinn: As a junior, I was drafting briefs, prepping witnesses for their depositions, and writing invalidity and noninfringement contentions, really anything a mid-level or senior would be doing. There’s huge opportunity for people who are looking for it, and partners are always looking for ways to put juniors forward. When I work with juniors, they’ll take the first crack at a lot of the work we do—motions, deposition outlines, and discovery responses. They are then participating in the next steps for each of these, including second-chairing or taking depositions.
How do you see this practice area evolving in the future?
Shannon: Technology is transforming how we practice. New AI and tech tools are emerging to streamline workflows and enhance efficiency. While many of these tools are still evolving, progress is rapid. The real opportunity lies in adopting technology that enhances our practice and doing so responsibly and securely, in line with client expectations and guidelines, to organize information, uncover insights, and strengthen patent strategy without compromising the creativity and strategic judgment that define our work.
Quinn: I have no idea! Things are always changing; that’s the beauty of it. For instance, the rise of litigation around large language models is a brand-new phenomenon. Technology will always surprise you. I do think that we’re about to see a very different breakdown between district court and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, so the strategy for patent litigation will likely change.