Nena Bains is a seasoned patent attorney who focuses her practice on all aspects of patent prosecution and counseling in the field of medical devices. Nena has considerable experience designing, building, and managing patent portfolios, guiding medical device projects through IP minefields and transactional efforts, and successfully concluding complex negotiations. Her practice also includes due diligence investigations, clearance reviews, opinion work, licensing, inter partes reviews (IPRs), and litigation support. Nena also assists clients in developing corporate intellectual property programs that capture and protect the most valuable assets of the client.
Nena has a unique understanding of the challenges that face clients having been in-house for nearly seven years at both a start-up and a large public company. Prior to joining the firm, Nena was Vice President of Intellectual Property and Legal Affairs for Pulmonary Endoscopy at Boston Scientific Corporation, where she managed worldwide intellectual property and legal functions for its pulmonary franchise. Previously, she was Vice President of Intellectual Property and Legal at Asthmatx, Inc., a start-up medical device company developing RF based systems for asthma, which was acquired by Boston Scientific Corporation in 2010.
Nena’s knowledge of the medical device industry and the importance of patent protection are well established. Her technical experience extends to a wide array of fields, including neuromodulation, endoscopy and pulmonary technologies, robotic surgical systems, minimally invasive electrosurgical devices, drug delivery means, aneurysm grafts/filaments, laser eye surgery systems, dental appliances, contraceptive implants, spine surgery, radiation, cryo, and ultrasound devices, pulse oximeters, occlusion devices, dialysis valves, and numerous guidewire, stent and catheter-based technologies.
Nena currently serves as a member of her firm’s Executive Committee. She was recognized as a top patent practitioner in 2024 and the four years immediately preceding by IAM Patent 1000 – The World’s Leading Patent Practitioners. Nena was named a "Patent Leader" in 2024 by World IP Review. In 2020, she was recommended by Legal 500 US for Patent Prosecution.
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Adversarial Patent Prosecution℠
Asset Creation - Prosecution & Counseling
Licensing, Transactions & Monetization
University of California, Davis School of Law J.D. (1999)
University of California, San Diego B.S. (1995) Bioengineering, magna cum laude
California (1999)
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (2000)
UCSF Rosenman Institute, IP Mentor to Rosenman Innovators (2019-Present)
MedtechWOMEN Advisory Board (2024-Present)
American Heart Association’s Bay Area Research Roundtable, Executive Leadership Team (ELT) (2013-Present)
Fogarty Institute for Innovation, IP Mentor to Company in Residence (2017-Present)
American Intellectual Property Law Association, Member (1997-Present)
Association of Corporate Counsel, Member (2006-2013)
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