Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP is pleased to announce that Ian Scott has joined the firm’s Chicago office as a partner in the Intellectual Property (IP) practice group, specializing in the pharmaceutical and life sciences litigation area.

Since the announcement of Shefsky & Froelich’s merger with Taft in November 2013, seven intellectual property attorneys have joined the new Taft Chicago office. In total, Taft boasts 36 IP attorneys and two patent agents.

Mr. Scott’s practice is concentrated on patent litigation, with an emphasis in pharmaceutical patent litigation under the Hatch-Waxman Act. He also has extensive experience in the preparation of legal opinions in connection with planning for litigation, including opinions regarding patentability, invalidity, freedom-to-operate and priority of invention of U.S. patents and publications.

Mr. Scott also provides counseling for clients in connection with the protection of their intellectual property rights and avoidance of third-party rights. He is experienced in all areas of the preparation, prosecution and exploitation of patent applications, including licensing of intellectual property rights and due diligence analyses.

Prior to practicing law, Mr. Scott worked for more than nine years in the chemical industry, becoming a senior chemist at E.M. Industries, an affiliate of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt. He earned his master’s degree in chemistry from St. John’s University and his bachelor’s degree in chemistry, with honors, from University College Swansea, University of Wales. He graduated from Pace University School of Law in 1996.