Keeley I. Vega

An undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering is useful in different ways, as Turner Boyd LLP partner Keeley I. Vega represents IP clients as a patent lawyer.

“Sometimes the degree has nothing to do with the case at hand, but it gave me a good foundation in cases involving technology and the scientific jargon that is often so important to understanding the issues,” she said.

And the degree helped set her course toward a legal career. As a college junior, she was working on a bioengineering lab project when her supervisor told Vega to find out if the research was patentable. “I didn’t even know what that meant, but I looked into it and was fascinated to learn how it takes analytic and strategic thinking to translate the science into a practical patent application. As it happened, we did not get the patent—but it kick-started my interest in patent law.”

Vega spent seven years as a trial lawyer at global IP law firm Fish & Richardson PC before downsizing to the boutique firm Turner Boyd in 2015. “Going from working with hundreds of lawyers to a dozen, you learn to be nimble,” she said.

She’s currently defending digital cell biology company Berkeley Lights Inc. in a complex patent infringement case that began with 15 patents in dispute related to antibody discovery and microfluidic cell culture. She and her team successfully moved to transfer the case from Delaware to her client’s home turf. They then scored a case-narrowing victory by persuading then-U.S. District Judge Lucy H. Koh of San Jose to require the plaintiff to reduce the number of asserted patents to only two before trial. AbCellera Biologics Inc. et al. v. Berkeley Lights Inc., 4:20-cv-08624 (N.D. Cal., filed

The case is currently stayed, pending IPR proceedings. “The technology here is one I’m extremely curious about,” Vega said. “Molecular cell biology has developed into the foundation of the pharmacological products we end up taking.”

In 2020, Vega brought patent infringement claims on behalf of pioneering molecular technology company Natera Inc. related to noninvasive prenatal testing. She was day-to-day lead on the case, which settled with the defendant stopping sales of its accused tests and exiting the industry. Natera Inc. v. Progenity Inc., 6:20-cv-00532 (W.D. Texas, filed June 17, 2020).

Vega was a primary drafter on filings submitted to the court and she argued several disputes before U.S. District Judge Alan D. Albright of Waco, Texas.

“I’m a mom and I’m curious about the science behind these important patents,” Vega said. “I definitely enjoy this work.”

– John Roemer