Nicholas Smith

Nick draws on his extensive legal and chemistry knowledge to turn challenging intellectual property matters into success stories for clients. He prepares and prosecutes foreign and domestic patent applications with a concentration in the chemical sector — from biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and polymers, to oil and gas services — along with providing litigation support.

For example, his experience includes securing patent protection for polymerization catalysts, materials coatings and the hydraulic fracturing sector. Furthermore, Nick has been tasked with advanced client work early in his career. From drafting invalidity and non-infringement opinions in the oil and gas industry and landscape studies in the dental implant industry and oil and gas industry, to securing winning results for clients in post-grant proceedings, Nick has a wide array of experiences. These experiences provide Nick with a unique insight to critically analyze issued patents, sharpen his own skills in drafting applications and develop his effectiveness at building client relationships. Nick has also secured IP protection for clients in the areas of design patents, trademarks and copyrights.

Nick understands the technical aspects of his clients’ industries at a deep level thanks to his Ph.D. in chemistry and a previous internship with a major oil and gas manufacturer. Today, he works seamlessly with in-house engineers and attorneys to help achieve clients’ business and legal objectives.

Always thinking about the big picture, Nick excels in seeing the commercial value and implications in technologies that others may not always consider. He recently secured patent protection for a lab-developed technology in a university setting and drafted the case in a way that considered scale up of the technology in a manufacturing setting, ensuring that the coverage of rights included the technology’s potential industrial aspects.

When drafting and prosecuting patent applications, Nick’s goal is to get a patent issued quickly — not only to save the client money, but to empower the client to accrue damages against infringers sooner rather than later. He has successfully filed several fast-track applications that were brought to allowance within only eight months.

Clients looking to protect their intellectual property or expand internationally turn to Nick for his experience working across different cultures. He has represented clients’ intellectual property interests in Europe, Asia, South America and the Middle East.

When he’s not working for clients, Nick enjoys spending time with his wife, son and daughter. He’s an avid St. Louis Cardinals fan and also cheers for the sports teams of his alma maters, Baylor University, Texas Christian University and Saint Louis University.