Andrea Reid

Andrea L.C. Reid, co-chair of Dechert's intellectual property practice, co-head of Dechert’s patent counseling and prosecution team, co-lead of Dechert's global life sciences group and member of the firm's policy committee, counsels established and start-up clients in all sectors of the biotech and pharmaceutical industries on developing IP strategies, patent portfolio management and transactions at all phases of the business cycle. Ms. Reid's ability to develop successful IP strategies for U.S. and European clients has resulted in more than US$30 billion in acquisition and investor/partner funding. With more than 30 years of experience working in the pharmaceutical industry, she has extensive experience in all areas of drug discovery through drug development. She draws on this experience when prosecuting patent applications and preparing patentability, validity and infringement opinions involving active pharmaceutical ingredients, manufacturing syntheses and formulations. She regularly represents clients on specialty issues relating to organic chemistry, small molecule pharmaceuticals and polymorph IP.

Sought for her unique breadth of knowledge, Ms. Reid advises patent litigators on technical scientific concepts in complex pharmaceutical patent matters. Additionally, she represents clients in IP due diligence issues and assesses matters connected to in-license and acquisition opportunities.

In 2024, Ms. Reid was ranked a Leading Lawyer by The Legal 500 US for Intellectual Property: Patents: Prosecution, as well as named one of World IP Review's 50 Most Influential Women in IP and listed as a top IP lawyer in its WIPR Leaders 2024 guide. She was also recognized as a leading Intellectual Property lawyer by The Best Lawyers in America 2025. Ms. Reid is consistently named an IAM Patent 1000 World’s Leading Patent Practitioner in Massachusetts, who in 2024, said she “earned her plaudits from clientele” by distinguishing herself “at the strategy level”, where one client said, “Andrea understands very deeply the complex relationship between IP value/risk and the demands of developing a business, helping us navigate where exposure is warranted.” In 2023, IAM described her as “renowned for growing portfolios and developing strategies to attract funding from investors and executing complex transactional deals." In a previous edition, IAM said, "Dechert’s life sciences practice is a lightning rod for praise; chief patent counsel look to hire the firm and global industry group co-head Andrea Reid at every available opportunity for their perspicacious strategic, policy and business advice and favourable prosecution and portfolio development outcomes. 'An intelligent and fun lawyer to work with, Andrea is nothing short of amazing. The applications she is responsible for are superbly written, with creative claim sets, and her portfolios are some of the cleanest, best managed you’ ll ever see.'" In 2022, Ms. Reid was also named a “Strategy 300 Global Leader” and, in 2021, a "World’ s Leading IP Strategist" by IAM Strategy 300.

In 2023, Ms. Reid was named Patent Strategy Attorney of the Year – Massachusetts by LMG Life Sciences, an honor she also received in 2020. She was named among the Top 250 Women in IP by Managing Intellectual Property in 2022 and is routinely named an "IP STAR" for both patent and transactions in Massachusetts by the same publication. Ms. Reid is also routinely listed by The Legal 500 US for Industry Focus: Healthcare: Life Sciences (2017-2024) and, previously, Intellectual Property: Patents: Prosecution (2020-2023), which stated "Dechert and Andrea Reid do a really good job providing both strategic and tactical support to enabling growing companies build the right IP strategies in their business plans." In 2021, Ms. Reid was named to Expert Guides' Best of the Best USA guide for Life Sciences and their Women in Business Law 2021 list. In 2020, Ms. Reid was named to National Law Journal’s 2020 Intellectual Property Trailblazers List and recognized by Profiles in Diversity Journal in the publication’s Women Worth Watching in STEM Awards, which were established to celebrate women leaders who break barriers in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Ms. Reid was also shortlisted for Best in Life Sciences by Euromoney’s Women in Business Law Americas Awards 2020. Ms. Reid is also routinely named a "Life Sciences Star" by LMG Life Sciences, is regularly named a Massachusetts Super Lawyers Rising Star, and was named among the Top Women of Law in 2017 by the Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly.

In 2019 and 2020, Ms. Reid was selected to serve on the Life Sciences Law360’s Editorial Board as an official life sciences resource for Law360 editorial staff. In 2018, the Financial Times highly commended Ms. Reid’s work for developing the innovative IP strategy that underpinned drug discoverer Nimbus Therapeutics' novel agreement with Celgene Corporation. Similarly, in 2016, the Financial Times honored Ms. Reid as one of just 10 individuals shortlisted as "Legal Innovator of the Year." She also won the "Legal Expertise" category entitled "Enabling Clients to Innovate" for her work on behalf of Nimbus.

Prior to joining Dechert, Ms. Reid served as an IP partner at a Boston based law firm. Her previous experience also includes working as a patent agent at a global biotechnology company where she prepared and prosecuted small molecule patent applications for the Protein Kinase gene family and bacterial Gyrase programs. Ms. Reid also worked as a chemist for 14 years in which time she completed several natural product syntheses, worked as both a medicinal and process chemist, was an inventor on 14 United States Patents and co-author of numerous scientific publications.

Life-Sciences Patent Network North America: Protecting Innovation in a Changing Landscape, Boston, MA (April 26, 2018)
Managing Intellectual Property U.S. Patent Forum 2018, New York (March 13, 2018)
3rd Drug Discovery Re-Invented Conference — Emerging Role of Biotechs, Academics and Non-Profits, Cancun, Mexico (February 21, 2017)
Life Sciences Forum 2016 — Organized by Managing Intellectual Property, New York (September 14, 2016)
Recent Developments in Obviousness - A Pharma Perspective — Recent Developments in Intellectual Property Law Seminar, Munich (September 22, 2015)
Patent Ruling Leaves Lingering Questions on License Agreements — Suffolk University Law School, Boston, MA (February 1, 2014)
Have Prometheus & Myriad Changed the World? — Harvard Business School, Cambridge, MA (October 1, 2013)
American Invents Act — Wallinger Ricker Schlotter Tostmann Client Seminar, Munich, Germany (September 1, 2013)
Intellectual Property Advisor for the Blavatnik Fellowship — Harvard Business School, Cambridge, MA (January 1, 2013)
US Patent Prosecution: Best Practices — Wallinger Ricker Schlotter Tostmann Client Seminar, Munich, Germany (September 1, 2011)
Commercializing Technology — Harvard Business School, Cambridge, MA (January 1, 2011)
Intellectual Property for Chemists: Feed Your Inner Geek — Northeastern Section ACS, Boston, MA (February 1, 2010)
How Changes in Patent Law Alter Patent Prosecution, Litigation and Licensing — Boston Patent Law Association and Suffolk University Law School, Boston, MA (September 1, 2009)
A Change in Climate: IP Strategies for Crystal Forms in View of Recent Changes in US Patent Law — IQPC Conference, London, United Kingdom (December 1, 2007)