Deborah Sterling, Ph.D., is a director in Sterne Kessler’s Biotechnology & Chemical Practice Group and was the group’s former chair from 2018-2023. Her practice is focused on the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, where she counsels clients from around the world in all areas of patent procurement, including domestic and foreign patent preparation, and lifecycle management strategies. Her practice also includes counseling clients on intellectual property strategy, including freedom-to-operate and patentability issues, validity and infringement issues, and due diligence investigations in connection with acquisitions and investments.

Deborah’s experience includes representing clients in over 75 post-grant proceedings and multiple patent interferences and reexaminations. She has also been involved in multiple pharmaceutical and biotechnology patent litigations, including those brought under the Hatch-Waxman Act. Deborah leverages her experience in inter partes disputes to help patent owners craft and execute patent strategies that best align with their business needs.

Deborah’s intellectual property experience has been principally in technical areas such as biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, molecular biology, analytical instruments, agrochemicals, and clean technology. She also counsels clients in emerging and regulated industries, including cannabinoid therapeutics.

She has been recognized numerous times as a leading practitioner in the life sciences. Managing IP has named her an “IP Star” 2020-2024; the IAM Patent 1000 has ranked her among the top Washington, D.C. patent prosecution attorneys 2021-2024; and World Intellectual Property Review (WIPR) has listed her as a “WIPR Leader” 2023 – 2022. LMG Life Sciences named her a “Life Sciences Star” every year from 2019-2024. LMG Life Sciences also honored her as the “Patent Strategy Attorney of the Year (DC Metro)” in 2021, listed her as a finalist for “Patent Strategy Attorney of the Year (DC Metro)” in 2023 and 2024, and a finalist for “Post-Grant Proceeding Attorney of the Year” in 2020. DCA Live has also recognized her as an “Emerging Women Leaders in Law” (2019) and she was recognized by Profiles in Diversity Journal as one of their “Women Worth Watching” (2019).