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Wesley B. Derrick Ph.D.
650.849.6732
wesley.derrick@finnegan.com

Stanford Research Park
3300 Hillview Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 94304-1203

650.849.6600
Fax 650.849.6666

Bar and Court Admissions

  • California
  • U.S. District Court, N.D. California
  • U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Education

  • University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law
    J.D., 2006
  • University of Colorado, Boulder
    Ph.D., Chemistry, 1999
  • Iowa State University
    M.S., Biochemistry, 1992
  • Iowa State University
    B.S., Biochemistry, with distinction, 1991

Wesley B. Derrick Ph.D.

Associate

Wes Derrick focuses on litigation, interference, and opinion work in the biotechnology, chemical, and pharmaceutical areas. Dr. Derrick also maintains an active patent prosecution practice.

Dr. Derrick’s practice has involved a wide range of biochemical and chemical technologies, particularly those relating to therapeutics. Prior to entering patent practice, he earned an M.S. in biochemistry for his work studying the structure and function of transfer RNA and was awarded a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Colorado, Boulder, for his work on the catalytic mechanism of the hammerhead ribozyme. Dr. Derrick has presented lectures on the unique aspects of combinatorial therapeutics.

Highlights

  • Former extern for the Honorable Jeffrey S. White of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.
  • Co-Director of Off-Campus Competitions for Boalt Hall’s Moot Court Board.
  • Served in various roles for the Berkeley Technology Law Journal while in law school.
  • Teaching assistant for Boalt Hall’s first year Legal Research & Writing and Written & Oral Advocacy courses.
  • Former patent agent at an intellectual property law firm in Atlanta, Georgia.

Professional Activities

  • American Bar Association
  • American Chemical Society
  • American Intellectual Property Law Association
  • Earl Warren American Inn of Court

Select Publications

  • Coauthor. "Hammerhead Cleavage of the Phosphorodithioate Linkage," Biochemistry, 2000.
  • Coauthor. "Synthetase Recognition Determinants of E. Coli Valine Transfer RNA," Biochemistry, 1999.