JEAN-PAUL (J.P.) LAVALLEYE, Ph.D., is a member of the firm’s Management Committee and Co-Chairs the Litigation and Opinions and Counseling practice groups. Mr. Lavalleye is actively involved in all areas of patent law, with particular emphasis on patent counseling and litigation.
Fluent in French and with several decades of experience successfully representing foreign companies within the U.S., Mr. Lavalleye is especially skilled at guiding foreign companies through the U.S. intellectual property system. Working with executives and attorneys based in Europe and Japan, Mr. Lavalleye draws upon his cultural understanding and expertise to counsel overseas clients on how to tactically and strategically protect their IP assets and their rights to commercialize their technologies within the U.S.
Mr. Lavalleye not only provides IP law guidance, he provides clients with business advice within the overall patent context. By developing business strategies that utilize patent protection methods, Mr. Lavalleye helps companies optimize the value of their IP assets and enhance their market position.
Additionally, Mr. Lavalleye counsels his clients on risk management and litigation avoidance, assessing the possibilities of patent infringement when companies launch new products or services. To this end, he evaluates his clients’ product designs and suggests modifications to minimize the risk that they run afoul of competitor patents. When litigation is necessary, Mr. Lavalleye skillfully represents his clients, applying his litigation and negotiating experience and skills to resolve the conflict cost-effectively and in his clients’ best interests.
Mr. Lavalleye is well versed in diverse technologies. Before practicing law, Mr. Lavalleye earned a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He also was a Harvard University research fellow, where he continued working with the renowned chemistry professor George Whitesides.
Widely regarded within the legal community for his IP expertise, Mr. Lavalleye often works collaboratively with other U.S. as well as non-U.S. law firms to assist their clients in navigating the intricacies of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in order to obtain patents and broad protection for their intellectual capital. Mr. Lavalleye lectures regularly on U.S. intellectual property litigation, reexamination/reissue strategies, legal developments and trends.
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