Leanne M. Rakers

Leanne is a forward-thinking intellectual property attorney known for her creative approach to patent strategy and her dedication to mentoring the next generation of legal professionals. As the Practice Group Leader of the firm’s Chemical & Life Science practice group, she combines deep technical expertise with sharp legal insight to help clients navigate complex IP challenges.

Clients around the world value Leanne’s ability to identify patentable technologies and craft innovative, “outside-the-box” patent applications—especially in today’s evolving legal landscape, where patent eligibility is increasingly scrutinized. She delivers strategic counsel, practical solutions, and high-quality work with efficiency and precision. Beyond patent prosecution, her practice spans IP portfolio management, freedom-to-operate analyses, due diligence assessments, and FDA regulatory matters, including patent-drug FDA advising, Patent Term Extension applications, and Orange Book evaluations.

With a rare technical blend spanning chemistry, biotechnology, and life sciences, Leanne represents a diverse client base, from multinational corporations to startups in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, biofuels, semiconductors, medical diagnostics, cosmetics, and food science. She has successfully protected innovations involving small molecule chemistry, biologics, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food formulations, therapeutic methods, organometallic chemistry, and recombinant DNA technologies. Her tenacity in securing patents has led to multiple victories on appeal before the USPTO.

A natural leader and mentor, Leanne is deeply committed to fostering growth within the legal profession. She previously served as Chair of the firm’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee, where she championed initiatives to empower diverse attorneys and expand opportunities in IP law. Known for her exceptional ability to teach and inspire, she dedicates time to helping colleagues and clients succeed, reinforcing her reputation as both a trusted advisor and a dynamic leader in the field.