Overview

Gwilym Attwell helps biotech, medical device, and pharmaceutical companies strategically develop and monetize patent portfolios, implement patent process, and assess third-party intellectual property collaborations. His practice focuses on U.S. and foreign patent prosecution, opinion work, due diligence studies, and client counseling. Gwilym plays an active role managing Fish & Richardson’s highly regarded patent prosecution and counseling practice in Delaware.*

Gwilym has counseled clients ranging from startups and emerging companies to Fortune 500 corporations on biotech, chemical, pharmaceutical, and medical device patent applications. His technical experience includes vaccines, antibodies, genomics, polypeptides, small molecule inhibitors, gene therapy, diagnostics, and therapeutics. Gwilym has been recognized by Intellectual Asset Management as one of “The World’s Leading Patent Practitioners” since 2012 and is described as “a life sciences whiz who is a ‘go to’ adviser on IP development and monetisation for prestigious innovators.” IAM also describes Gwilym as “high skilled, yet very approachable – a great combination – and will answer a question or deal with a problem at a moment’s notice.”

Gwilym also works with clients on post-grant proceedings, including inter partes review and post-grant review petitions, and general post-grant patent strategy. He is a frequent lecturer on the global stage, routinely chairing or speaking at leading industry conferences on a variety of topics related to practice before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.

Gwilym leverages his previous experiences as a pharmacologist and research technician to quickly get up to speed and connect with his client’s business objectives. Prior to his legal career, Gwilym served as a pharmacologist at Wyeth-Ayerst Research in the bone metabolism and osteoporosis research department, where he developed and implemented high-throughput screening assays to identify lead compounds and performed basic research using cell and molecular biology. He was also a research technician at the Cleveland Clinic Research Institute, where he performed research on pathogenic viruses, e.g., vesicular stomatitis virus and human parainfluenza viruses.

When he isn’t practicing law, Gwilym spends much of his spare time working on his family’s small farm.

*Not admitted to practice in Delaware. Practice in Delaware is directly supervised by a member of the Delaware bar or is limited to U.S. federal courts or agencies listed in admissions or otherwise authorized by law.

Testimonials

“Gwilym Attwell is a top-notch patent prosecutor. He's very energetic, very creative and knows the prosecution of patent office practices very well." — Client Testimonial, 2023 Chambers and Partners USA

"Gwilym Attwell provided us with outstanding patent prosecution services. He is very responsive and provides high-quality, substantive work." — Client Testimonial, 2022 Chambers and Partners USA

Professional associations

  • PTAB Bar Association; Vice Chair, Membership Committee (2024-2025); Chair, Membership Committee (2025-Present)

  • BIO Pennsylvania, Programming Committee
  • BIO Delaware, Programming Committee
  • BIO Philadelphia
  • Intellectual Property Association