The POWER List 2022: Patrick C. Woolley

Polsinelli, Kansas City

Patrick Woolley has played a key role in growing Polsinelli’s Intellectual Property Department from its beginnings to it becoming one of the biggest IP practices in the nation.

Now chair of the department, the 1993 Washburn University alumnus has become a go-to resource for companies dealing in high-end litigation, venture capital issues and private equity matters. Having done work on four continents, Woolley has honed an expertise that has given him broad experience in dealing with startups, federal agencies, individual inventors and research institutions.

Woolley’s areas of practice span across the worlds of biotech, medical devices, food processing and mechanical and chemical engineering. From the intricacies of bioinformatics and sulfur removal processes to the details of GMOs, fungicides and fertilizers, Woolley has wide expertise in the field.

Woolley also provides counsel in strategic planning, unfair competition, the prosecution of trademark and copyright applications, the preparation of technology and confidentiality agreements. He also advises senior management and boards and works on design and development issues. Notable matters include Woolley’s representation of a pharmaceutical company in precipitating a Hatch-Waxman proceeding, his assistance with freedom to operate opinions that helped bring an insecticide to market and his management of a portfolio that included 800 domestic and international patents and applications.