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Michael J. Wise

Profile photo for Michael J. Wise
Profile photo for Michael J. Wise
Partner

Michael J. Wise

  • Firmwide Chair, Life Sciences & Healthcare Industry Group

Recognized by Intellectual Asset Management and Chambers Global as a ‘Leading Lawyer,’ Michael is an "incredibly knowledgeable, extremely capable, and very accessible" lawyer.

With more than 30 years of patent counseling, procurement, and litigation experience, Michael Wise handles district court patent litigation, inter partes review, and interference matters before the U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board. He also assists clients with patent portfolio management and complex contested patent matters in the life sciences industry. Michael litigates a wide variety of technologies, including biologic and small molecule therapeutics, diagnostics, medical devices, software, and electronics. 

An active member of the Southern California Biomedical Council for over two decades, Michael served as the chair of the annual SoCalBio Investor Conference and is the secretary of the board of directors. He also regularly advises academic institutions, research institutions, emerging companies, privately held companies, and publicly traded companies with respect to protecting and enforcing their intellectual property rights. 

Education & Credentials

Education

  • Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, J.D., cum laude, Order of the Coif, 1989
  • University of California, Los Angeles, B.S., Biology, 1985

Bar and Court Admissions

  • California
  • U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
  • U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
  • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California

Professional Recognition

  • Listed in Chambers Global Guide, 2013-2024

  • Ranked by Chambers USA as "America's Leading Lawyer" for Life Sciences: IP/Patent Litigation in California, 2012-2024

  • Listed in Best Lawyers in America: Biotechnology and Life Sciences Practice; Litigation - Intellectual Property, 2016-2025; Patent Law, 2023-2025

  • Ranked in Intellectual Asset Management Patent 1000, 2012-2024; Litigation Silver Band, 2016-2022; Litigation Bronze Band, 2012-2015

  • American Bar Foundation Fellow, 2020-2023

  • Recognized as an IP Star by Managing IP, 2013-2024

  • Named "Top Intellectual Property Attorney in California" by the Daily Journal, 2018, 2020-2022

  • Listed by Los Angeles Magazine as “Southern California Super Lawyers,” 2013-2022

  • Listed in Who's Who Legal: Life Sciences - Patent Litigation, 2018-2021, 2024

  • Recognized as one of the "2020 Top Lawyers in Southern California" by Los Angeles Times, 2020

  • Best Lawyers’ Los Angeles "Biotechnology and Life Sciences Practice, Lawyer of the Year," 2018, 2020

  • Listed in LMG Life Sciences 2019 as an "Intellectual Property Star", 2019

  • Recognized as a “Top Attorney in Southern California" by Los Angeles Magazine, 2019

  • Recognized as "Life Sciences, Lawyer of the Year, USA," by Lawyer Monthly Legal, 2018

  • Recognized as leading practitioner in life sciences by Who's Who Legal, 2017

  • Peer Review Rated AV in Martindale-Hubbell
    (AV®, BV® and CV® are registered certification marks of Reed Elsevier Properties Inc., used in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies.)

Impact

Professional Leadership

  • Southern California Biomedical Council, Secretary, 2004-present
  • Southern California Biomedical Council, Board Member, 2000-present

Professional Experience

Litigation

Van der Hoeven Horticultural Projects B.V. v. Glass Investment Projects, Inc.

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
Represented patent owner on appeal following an IPR decision upholding challenged claims over the prior art. Obtained summary affirmance upholding favorable judgment on appeal. Case No. 18-2234

Fontem Ventures B.V., et al. v. R. J. Reynolds Vapor Company, Case Nos. 16-cv-1255-CCE, 16-cv-1257-CCE, 16-cv-1258-CCE, 17-cv-175-CCE

U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina
Representing plaintiff Fontem in enforcing fifteen electronic cigarette patents in four infringement cases. Cases are settled.

Fontem Ventures B.V., et al. v. Nu Mark, LLC, Case Nos. 16-cv-1259-CCE, 16-cv-1261-CCE

U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina
Represented plaintiff Fontem in enforcing sixteen electronic cigarette patents in two consolidated infringement cases. Cases settled.

Fontem Holdings 1 B.V. & Fontem Ventures B.V. v. Njoy, Inc. et al., Case No. CV14-1645-GW (lead case)

U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
Represented plaintiff Fontem in enforcing nine electronic cigarette patents in twenty-four consolidated patent cases against eight of the largest e-cigarette companies operating in the United States. Cases settled.

Contested Patent Matters

R. J. Reynolds v. Fontem Ventures B.V., et al.

Patent Trial and Appeal Board
Represented patent owner Fontem in defending twenty-six inter partes review petitions of electronic cigarette patents. Obtained multiple favorable Board decisions prior to settlement.

Nu Mark, LLC v. Fontem Ventures B.V., et al.

Patent Trial and Appeal Board
Represented patent owner Fontem in defending twenty-five inter partes review petitions of electronic cigarette patents. Obtained multiple favorable Board decisions prior to settlement.

Lo et al. (Sequenom, Inc.) v. Quake, Et Al (Illumina, Inc), Interference Nos. 105,920, 105,922-924.

Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences
Represented Party Lo in a series of Interferences before the Board of Patent Appeal and Interferences between Parties Lo and Quake involving the use of random massively parallel sequencing for detection of fetal aneuploidy in a maternal blood sample. Obtained judgment for Party Lo on priority because Party Quake’s involved patent and applications lacked written description support for the involved claims.

Patent

Patent Procurement, Counseling and Due Diligence for City of Hope

Patent preparation, prosecution, and counseling related to small molecule therapeutics, biotechnology therapeutics diagnostics and medical devices.

Patent Procurement, Counseling and Due Diligence for Editas Medicine

Patent counsel for publicly traded pharmaceutical company developing clinical applications for genome editing. Representation includes patent procurement and due diligence relating to financing.

Patent Procurement, Counseling and Due Diligence for Eloxx Pharmaceuticals

Comprehensive patent counsel for publicly traded pharmaceutical company developing small molecule therapeutics for treatment of cystic fibrosis and other premature stop codon-related diseases. Representation includes patent procurement, management of licensed and original patent portfolios, and due diligence relating to licensing and financing.

China Practice

Patent Counseling and Procurement for Shanghai Benemae Pharmaceutical Corporation

Providing advice on a variety of IP-related issues including patent procurement, general IP strategies and internal IP management.

Patent Counseling for Xcelom Limited

Assisting in the enforcement of its licensed patent rights in Hong Kong related to use of random massively parallel sequencing for detection of fetal aneuploidy.

Patent Procurement and Litigation Counseling for Ruyan

Managed the company’s global patent portfolio and enforced patents to protect its vapor technology.

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