Katherine A. Helm

Dr. Katherine A. (“Kassie”) Helm, Ph.D. is an intellectual property and litigation partner at Dechert LLP. She represents innovative companies in intellectual property matters, with a focus on pharmaceutical and biotechnology patent litigation. Her neuroscience doctorate allows her to offer a unique perspective to life sciences companies in all phases of litigation, including patent infringement actions, domestic and international arbitrations and related complex commercial and antitrust disputes involving IP assets, including joint ventures, licensing, drug development collaborations and settlement agreements, frequently with multijurisdictional aspects. Dr. Helm is fluent in French and has significant experience with post-issuance patent proceedings around the globe, including post grant reviews and inter partes reviews before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and in opposition, invalidation and revocation proceedings. Dr. Helm is an authoritative, sought-after speaker on IP-related panels in the U.S. and Europe. She has been routinely recognized by Who’s Who Legal, National Law Journal, The Legal 500, Profiles in Diversity Journal, Euromoney, IAM Patent 1000, LMG Life Sciences, Super Lawyers, and Managing Intellectual Property. Dr. Helm’s recent patent litigation success was profiled as one of the four contributing matters to Dechert’s recognition as a Law360 2020 Life Sciences Practice Group of the Year. She has authored over 75 articles, book chapters and commentary on legal and scientific topics, including as a former columnist for Law.com and the ALM media group. Dr. Helm is a founder of the New York chapter of ChIPs (Chiefs of Intellectual Property), a global nonprofit organization with thousands of members dedicated to advancing and connecting women in law, technology and regulatory policy. She is the former chair of the Federal Circuit Bar Association’s veterans committee. In 2021, Dr. Helm was individually recognized as a winner of Dechert’s Samuel E. Klein Pro Bono Awards, for her work on behalf of military veterans before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.