Katherine A. Helm

Katherine A. Helm is a leading patent litigation attorney at Dechert LLP, where she serves as co-chair of the firm's global intellectual property practice and head of the IP litigation group. Leveraging her Ph.D. in neuroscience, Dr. Helm specializes in high-stakes patent and patent-adjacent litigation within the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors, including biologics, small and large molecules, and Hatch-Waxman actions. Her practice also encompasses complex commercial disputes involving IP assets, breach of contract claims, and antitrust litigation related to pharmaceutical assets. Dr. Helm's extensive experience includes representing innovator life sciences companies as both plaintiff (3 cases tracked) and defendant (4 cases tracked) in patent infringement actions, indicating a balanced approach to litigation roles. She is also frequently involved in multijurisdictional patent disputes, including international arbitrations and coordinated U.S./European proceedings.

Her notable engagements include representation in cases such as Unified Patents v. Genzyme Corp and Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc. v. Genzyme Corp., with the latter involving IPRs that were denied institution and a jury trial scheduled for June 14, 2027. Dr. Helm was also recognized by the Financial Times North America Innovative Lawyers Awards 2023 for her work on behalf of Eli Lilly & Co. in a transatlantic patent dispute with Novartis. Her trial successes have contributed to Dechert's recognition as a Law360 Life Sciences Practice Group of the Year in 2020 and 2022. Additional prominent matters include Human Genome Sciences Inc. v. Genentech Inc., Amgen Inc. v. Hoechst Marion et al., Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Inc. v. Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. et al., and Genzyme Corp. et al. v. Novartis Gene Therapies Inc.

Dr. Helm maintains a significant practice before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), handling Inter Partes Reviews (IPRs) and Post Grant Reviews (PGRs) for both petitioners and patent owners, as well as interferences and appeals. She has co-authored articles on PTAB discretionary denials in the context of parallel Hatch-Waxman litigation, highlighting her expertise in this area.

Before joining Dechert in 2018, Dr. Helm spent seven years at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP and five years as a technical adviser and associate at Fish & Neave LLP, which became Ropes & Gray LLP during her tenure. She earned her B.A., cum laude, from Princeton University in 1999, an M.A. (2001) and Ph.D. (2003) in neuroscience from Johns Hopkins University, and her J.D., cum laude, from Fordham University School of Law in 2008. Dr. Helm also completed clerkships with Federal Circuit Judge Alvin Anthony Schall and U.S. District Judge Marilyn Hall Patel in the Northern District of California.