Dechert’s Katherine A. Helm Joins Women Leaders in IP in Founding Lead Counsel Summit

Amanda K. Antons, partner at Dechert, will be a first class participant in the organization’s upcoming event.

Dr. Katherine A. Helm, intellectual property partner in Dechert LLP’s New York office, joins women leaders in intellectual property in founding Lead Counsel Summit (LCS), an organization dedicated to increasing the number of women lead counsel in private practice in the area of intellectual property litigation and appeals. LCS is holding its inaugural summit in San Francisco on August 25-27, 2023. Amanda K. Antons, intellectual property partner in the global law firm’s Chicago office, will take part in the inaugural summit as a first class participant.

The organization’s yearly summits aim to provide training and support to women litigators who are on the cusp of serving as lead counsel, to help them master the courtroom and their clients, and to learn team skills needed to succeed in their roles. The upcoming summit will feature experienced lead counsel, in-house counsel, and members of the federal judiciary who are active in intellectual property sharing insights and guidance on topics ranging from winning the jury to addressing internal and external conflicts that may surface with clients and courts. The first class of participants will have the opportunity to learn skills from experienced and leading professionals on how to own a case and a room, win a jury, and navigate conflicts. Additionally, participants will partake in breakout sessions where they will engage in mock pitches to in-house counsel and give opening statements, followed by feedback sessions and networking opportunities with leading women in intellectual property.

“I am honored to be a part of an organization that is dedicated to empowering women litigators in the intellectual property space. Our first class of amazingly skilled participants will inform a larger initiative that brings together onetime competitors across law firms and companies with the aim to break down barriers across all touchpoints of our legal practice,” said Dr. Helm. 

Commenting on her participation in the upcoming summit, Dr. Antons said: “I am grateful to be part of the first class of participants at the first LCS summit. I look forward to connecting with and to learning from both the organization’s leaders and my fellow participants in a program and environment committed to the advancement of women litigators in intellectual property”.

Katherine A. Helm, Ph.D., is a first-chair counsel who represents innovator pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in patent and patent-adjacent litigation matters. She leverages her neuroscience doctorate alongside her legal acumen to develop and execute winning positions for life sciences companies with global IP pharmaceutical assets in all phases of district court litigation, before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, in Federal Circuit and other circuit court appeals, as well as in coordinated global proceedings in the European national courts and in European Patent Office oppositions and appeals.

Amanda K. Antons, Ph.D., focuses her practice on patent litigation, specifically in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, including biologics litigation, Abbreviated New Drug Application litigation, Patent Trial and Appeal Board proceedings, European Patent Office proceedings, other contentious patent office matters including interferences, and related trade secrets litigation. Her doctoral training, including work on T cell/HIV interactions, provides her with significant research experience and knowledge in the biotechnology and life sciences industries. 

Read more about the Legal Counsel Summit.

About Dechert

Dechert is a global law firm that advises asset managers, financial institutions and corporations on issues critical to managing their business and their capital – from high-stakes litigation to complex transactions and regulatory matters. We answer questions that seem unsolvable, develop deal structures that are new to the market and protect clients’ rights in extreme situations. Our 1,000+ lawyers across 21 offices globally focus on the financial services, private equity, private credit, real estate, life sciences and technology sectors.