Ellenoff Grossman & Schole (EGS) has announced that Jeffrey D. Coleman, Ph.D., a seasoned intellectual property litigator with a focus on life sciences and biotechnology disputes, has joined the firm as a partner in its growing Intellectual Property Group. He is the first lateral addition to the IP team since the firm welcomed the lawyers from Leichtman Law in January, underscoring EGS’s commitment to expanding both its IP and broader litigation platform.
Coleman joins EGS from Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP and brings more than a decade of experience representing leading pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, telecommunications, and financial technology companies in high-stakes patent litigations. He will further strengthen the firm’s patent litigation bench, particularly in life sciences and biotech matters, while also contributing patent prosecution and corporate due diligence capabilities.
Coleman’s practice is concentrated on complex patent disputes in federal district courts, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. He has played key roles in Hatch-Waxman and Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act (BPCIA) matters, represented innovator pharmaceutical companies in matters involving biologics, monoclonal antibodies, gene therapies, and vaccine technologies, and handled multinational revocation and coordination efforts across Asia and Europe. In addition, he has counseled global telecommunications companies and fintech clients in patent and trade secret disputes.
In the biotechnology sector, Coleman has advised clients on intellectual property protection strategies for cutting-edge therapeutics, including cell culture media technologies, gene therapies, and treatments for ophthalmologic and oncologic indications. He has also provided freedom-to-operate analyses and intellectual property due diligence in connection with acquisitions and strategic transactions. His client base ranges from multinational pharmaceutical companies to emerging biotech startups, several of which he continues to advise on patent strategy and portfolio development.
“Jeffrey significantly enhances our life sciences and biotech litigation capabilities,” said David Leichtman, head of EGS’s Intellectual Property Group. “He brings deep scientific training, first-chair drafting experience in complex patent disputes, and hands-on knowledge of Hatch-Waxman and biologics litigation. Additionally, his ability to contribute meaningfully to diligence and advisory work for our transactional clients makes him a valuable asset across the firm.”
The addition follows a period of strategic growth at EGS. In January, the firm announced that four partners and three associates from Leichtman Law joined EGS, significantly deepening its IP and commercial litigation capabilities. That announcement came on the heels of the firm’s combination with the litigation team from Kaplan Rice LLP, further expanding the firm’s dispute-resolution platform.
“Adding Jeffrey affirms our commitment to expanding our IP and litigation capabilities,” said Douglas S. Ellenoff. “Following the integration of the Leichtman team and the Kaplan Rice litigators, we are continuing to invest in areas that matter most to our clients. Our platform now combines a sophisticated trial practice with a robust transactional bench. We are building strategically and thoughtfully, and Jeffrey is exactly the type of lawyer who strengthens that vision.”
Coleman’s scientific background is central to his practice. He earned his J.D., cum laude, from Fordham University School of Law, where he served as Executive Notes Editor of the Fordham Law Review. He holds a Ph.D. in Molecular Toxicology from The Pennsylvania State University, where his research focused on molecular pathways implicated in pancreatic cancer, and a B.S., with honors, in Chemistry from Ursinus College. His doctoral training enables him to engage deeply with complex scientific documents and expert testimony in biotechnology and pharmaceutical patent matters.
Earlier in his career, Coleman practiced at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, Kirkland & Ellis LLP, and Boies Schiller Flexner LLP, where he handled high-profile patent and commercial litigation matters for global clients.
He is an active member of the intellectual property bar. He serves on the Board of Directors of the New York Intellectual Property Law Association and previously served as Treasurer of the Association and Co-Chair of its Amicus Briefs Committee. He is also a member of the American Bar Association.
“I am excited to join EGS at this moment of growth,” Coleman said. “This is an opportunity to step into a mature and expanding IP trial practice and to work alongside a team that is deeply committed to building its IP and life sciences capabilities. In combination with the firm’s strong biotech transactional practice, it is the perfect platform on which to expand my own practice. I am also particularly appreciative of the firm’s support for my work with emerging biotech companies, which are driving innovation across the industry.”
With Coleman’s arrival, EGS continues to solidify its position as a leading independent mid-market firm offering integrated litigation and transactional capabilities to clients in a broad and varied range of industries.
Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP is a corporate focused law firm comprised of nearly 150 professionals, offering its clients legal services in a broad range of business-related matters. Founded in 1992, the Firm specializes in many areas of commercial law: Corporate, Securities, Real Estate, Broker-Dealer Regulation, Private Investment Funds, Intellectual Property, Litigation, Labor, Employment, ERISA, Executive Compensation, Tax and Estate Planning.
