Mitchell A. Katz is the immediate past Chair of Ballard Spahr's Intellectual Property Department and has served as leader of the firm's Patents Group and Chemical Patent Team. He is a member of the Life and Materials Sciences Patent Team.
Mitch serves as patent counsel to numerous chemical and pharmaceutical companies ranging from large multinational corporations to small start-ups and various universities. He focuses on domestic and international patent procurement, client counseling, and opinion writing, as well as post-grant patent office proceedings and international oppositions.
Professional Highlights
Pro Bono Experience
Mitch is active in and proud of his pro bono work, having worked on asylum cases for candidates from Syria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Bangladesh, Venezuela, and Afghanistan. As a result of this work, the firm received the 2015 Pro Bono Law Firm of the Year award from the Georgia Asylum and Immigration Network (GAIN). Additionally, Mitch is the lead Ballard Spahr attorney handling GAIN cases for immigrant victims of human trafficking, domestic violence, sexual assault, and other crimes. Ballard Spahr’s Pro Bono Committee honored his efforts in 2019 with the Alan J. Davis Award and again in 2021 with the Leonard E. Lindquist Award.
Professional Activities
American Bar Association
American Chemical Society, Division of Chemistry and Law
Past Program Chair (1998-2002); past Assistant Program Chair (1997-1998)
American Institute of Chemical Engineers
Recognition & Accomplishments
Recipient, Ballard Spahr’s 2021 Leonard E. Lindquist Award, for pro bono work in pursuing asylum relief efforts for individuals in immigration detention who faced unsafe conditions at the onset of the pandemic
Georgia's Best Lawyers, "Lawyer of the Year," 2020
The Best Lawyers in America, Patent Law (Atlanta), 2013-2025; "Lawyer of the Year," Patent Law (Atlanta), 2015, 2020
Chambers USA, intellectual property law, 2009-2017
Speaking Engagements
Presenter, "How to Prepare Your Business for IP Issues in the U.S. Market," Valea AB, Gothenburg, Sweden, October 9, 2019
Presenter, "How to Prepare Your Business for IP Issues in the U.S. Market," Valea AB, Stockholm, Sweden, October 8, 2019
"Value Add And Risk Management for U.S. Patent Practice," Business Finland, Helsinki, Finland, April 27, 2018
Board Memberships & Community Service
Emory IP Society Advisory Board
Virginia Tech Campaign, Atlanta Region, Chair
Credentials
Education
Georgetown University Law Center (J.D. 1992)
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (B.S., chemical engineering, 1984, cum laude)
Admissions
Georgia
Virginia
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office