Sharon Roberg-Perez

Sharon Roberg-Perez is a partner in Robins Kaplan’s Intellectual Property and Technology Litigation Group. An M.I.T.-trained Ph.D. biologist and registered patent attorney, Dr. Roberg-Perez focuses her practice on patent matters involving life sciences, biotechnology, medical devices, and other complex technologies. She draws on her experience as a scientist and patent litigator, as well as her investment-side experience, to help clients assess, protect, enforce, and maximize the value of their intellectual property.

Before returning to Robins Kaplan in 2026, Dr. Roberg-Perez served as a Director in the IP finance group at a large investment company, where she conducted patent and technical diligence for life sciences, healthcare, and medical device patent-backed investments. She evaluated patent portfolios and advised on patent prosecution and portfolio-building strategies to strengthen intellectual property assets and enhance their licensing and monetization potential. This experience provides her with an investment-side perspective on patent strength, risk, and value that informs her counsel to clients.

As a patent litigator, Dr. Roberg-Perez has represented innovative biotechnology companies, individual inventors, universities, and a major medical device manufacturer. She has handled disputes involving technologies such as genotyping, DNA fingerprinting, novel cancer therapies, cell-based assays, proteases, transcatheter heart valves, implantable defibrillators, spinal implants, minimally invasive knee arthroplasty techniques, and capacitive touchscreens.

Before practicing law, Dr. Roberg-Perez spent more than a decade as a molecular biologist, including working in biotechnology and genomics start-up companies.

Dr. Roberg-Perez has also devoted significant time to pro bono representation, including representing individuals seeking asylum, as well as serving as co-counsel with Lambda Legal and Gender Justice in matters involving incarcerated transgender individuals seeking medically necessary care and appropriate housing.

Dr. Roberg-Perez has been recognized as an “Attorney of the Year” by Minnesota Lawyer, a “Minnesota Super Lawyer” by Super Lawyers, and a “Notable Woman in STEM” by Twin Cities Business.

Dr. Roberg-Perez earned her J.D. from the University of St. Thomas School of Law and her bachelor’s degree in biological chemistry from Wellesley College. She earned her Ph.D. from M.I.T and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Caltech. During her scientific career, she authored several publications and received research fellowships from the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, and the American Psychological Association.

Education

• University of St. Thomas School of Law, J.D., summa cum laude; University of St. Thomas Law Journal, Notes & Comments Editor
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Ph.D., Biology
• Wellesley College, B.A., magna cum laude

Representative Matters

Trial Counsel to the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania in a patent infringement action against Eli Lilly and ImClone related to the manufacture and sale of Erbitux. Penn asserted US Patent No. 7,625,558 related to treatment of certain cancers using antibodies to erbB receptors followed by radiation therapy. The action was THE TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA v. ELI LILLY AND COMPANY, IMCLONE LLC and BRISTOLMYERS SQUIBB COMPANY, No. 15-6133 in the Federal District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The case was resolved on confidential terms.

Represented Medtronic in seventeen IPRs challenging five patents directed to guide extension catheters. Medtronic, Inc. v. Teleflex Innovations S.À.R.L., IPR2020-00126, et seq. (filed Nov. 12, 2019).

Defense counsel for Orthocor Medical, Inc., and its corporate parent Caerus Corporation in a patent infringement suit related to pulse electromagnetic field (PEMF) medical and veterinary devices, in which all claims with prejudice and without payment of any settlement amount. Endonovo Therapeutics, Inc. v. Orthocore Medical, Inc.

Counsel for Puget BioVentures, LLC in patent infringement cases against Biomet Orthopedics, DePuy Orthopaedics, and Stryker Corporation in the Northern District of Indiana and the District of New Jersey over methods for total knee arthroplasty, in which favorable resolutions were obtained.

Trial counsel for Nartron Corporation in case against Sanyo North America Corporation and Panasonic Corporation in the Western District of Michigan involving capacitive touch screen technology for automobiles.

Counsel for Promega in a patent infringement case against Genovis AB and Hansa Medical AB in the Western District of Wisconsin over technology related to proteases, in which a favorable resolution was obtained following summary judgment briefing.

Counsel for Affinity Labs of Texas, LLC in litigation in the Western District of Texas against major automotive manufacturers on patents related to the personalized delivery of audio content through smartphones. All cases settled on confidential terms.

Trial counsel for large medical device manufacturer in patent litigation over transcatheter heart valve technology. Matters resolved with global settlement in 2014.

Counsel for Promega in Promega Corporation v. Applied Biosystems, LLC, et al., U.S. District Court, N.D. Ill., in which summary judgment of invalidity was obtained in Promega’s favor. Patent case involving DNA fingerprinting technology.

Trial counsel for Medtronic in Medtronic, Inc. v. Boston Scientific Corp. et al., U.S. District Court, D. Del., in which a judgment of non-infringement was obtained in Medtronic’s favor. Patent case involving cardiac resynchronization therapy.

Counsel for Quest Diagnostics in St. Jude Children's Research Hospital et al. v. Quest Diagnostics, Inc., U.S. District Court, W.D. Tenn., in which all claims were dismissed. Patent case involving genotyping technology.

Counsel for Quest Diagnostics in Prometheus Laboratories, Inc., et al. v. Quest Diagnostics, Inc., U.S. District Court, S.D. Cal., in which all claims were dismissed. Patent case involving genotyping technology.

Pro Bono

Represented an incarcerated transgender woman who was denied medicallynecessary treatment for gender dysphoria. In 2018, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri issued a permanent injunction requiring the Missouri Department of Corrections (MDOC) to provide the  octorrecommended treatment. The order also bars the MDOC from enforcing Missouri’s “freeze-frame” policy – a blanket ban on providing hormone treatment to any transgender person who was not receiving such treatment prior to incarceration. This ruling is believed to be the first to find that  freezeframe policies are unconstitutional.

• Listed in The Best Lawyers in America (2024 edition)
• Named "Attorney of the Year" by Minnesota Lawyer (2023)
• Named a "Woman Worth Watching in STEM," Profiles in Diversity Journal (2023)
• Named a "Notable Woman in STEM," Twin Cities Business (2023)
• Recipient of the "Diversity and Inclusion Award," Minnesota Lawyer (2022)
• Named a "Woman Worth Watching in Leadership," Profiles in Diversity Journal (2021)
• Named a “Minnesota Super Lawyer,” Super Lawyers (2013-2019)
• Named a “North Star Lawyer” by the Minnesota State Bar Association for providing at least 50 hours of pro bono legal services (2016, 2023)
• Named an "Up & Coming Attorney," Minnesota Lawyer (2012)
• National Research Service Award, NIH, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (1997-1999)
• American Psychological Association Minority Postdoctoral Fellow (1996-1997)
• National Science Foundation Graduate Fellow (1989-1992)

Civic

• The Food Group, Board of Directors (2023-present)
• The Infinity Project, Board of Directors (2024)
• ChIPs, Minneapolis Chapter, Board of Directors (2021-2024)
• Epilepsy Foundation of Minnesota, Board of Directors (2018-2023)
• American Heart Association, Twin Cities, Board of Directors (2017-2020)
• The Aliveness Project, Board of Directors (2013-2016)

Professional

• Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, 2014 Fellows Program

Speeches

• How to Talk with Your Administration on Prudent Management of University IP
  AUTM Central Region Meeting, Kansas City, Missouri (July 18, 2023)
• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in IP
  3rd Annual Summit on Women Leaders in IP Law, Washington, DC (June 6, 2023)
• Lessons from the Trenches: How Language in Agreements May Have Unintended Consequences on the Ability to Recover Value
  Panel moderator, Association of University Technology Managers Eastern Region Meeting, Boston, MA (September 12, 2022) and Western Region Meeting, Portland, OR (Nov. 8, 2022)
• What I Know Now that I Wish I Knew then: Advice to My Younger Self
  Panelist, Women & Diversity in IP, Palo Alto, California (June 15, 2022)
• Building Your Brand: Perspectives and Insights from a Diverse Bar
  Panelist, Hennepin County Bar Foundation, Minneapolis, Minnesota (June 9, 2022)
• Best Practices to Ensure that Your Innovative Technology Has the Right Intellectual Property Protection
  Panelist, MD&M Minneapolis, Minneapolis, Minnesota (November 4, 2021)
• Fitting the Pieces Together: Holistic IP Strategy Integrating Trade Secrets, Copyrights, and More
  Panel moderator, Midwest IP Institute (September 27, 2019)
• Written Description Issues in the Life Sciences
  AIPLA Spring Meeting, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (May 15, 2019)
• A Patent Primer for Engineers Lessons through the Lens of Litigation
  Digital Technology Center Seminar, University of Minnesota (April 8, 2019)
• IP Protection for Medical Device Companies
  Panelist, International IP Skills Summit, Bengaluru, India (September 7, 2017)
• Advising Biotech Companies: How to Avoid Making Headlines for All the Wrong Reasons
  The Future of IP and Technology Law Forum, Boston, Massachusetts (May 9, 2017)
• Digital Health Data Engaging the Patient Consumer
  Panel moderator, MedTech Women, Minneapolis, Minnesota (May 4, 2017)
• Digital Health Balancing Risks and Benefits
  Panel moderator, Boston Bar Association’s Inaugural Life Sciences Conference, Cambridge, Massachusetts (November 10, 2016)
• Assessing and Preserving Value in Biotechnology IP
  Panelist, BIO World Congress San Diego, California (April 12, 2016)
• Recent Changes to US Patent Law and their Impact on Patent Licensing
  Panelist, Massachusetts Technology Transfer Offices Seminar, Cambridge, Massachusetts (March 30, 2016)

Media Mentions

• "Breaking the Ice: Pro Bono Work Helps Transgender Inmate," Minnesota Lawyer (June 22,
  2023)
• "Notable Woman in STEM: Sharon Roberg-Perez," Twin Cities Business (April 2023)
• "10 Questions: Sherry Roberg-Perez, Ph. D.," Hennepin County Bar Association (mnbar.org)
  (December 13, 2022)
• "The Next Generation of IP and Technology Trial Lawyers," Attorney at Law (October 5, 2020)
• “Stepping into the Shoes of the Department of Justice: The Unusual, Necessary, and Hopeful Path the Illinois Attorney General Took to Require Police Reform in Chicago,” Northwestern Journal of Law & Social Policy (Winter 2020)
• Quoted in "Make Sure Your License Agreements Don't Unwittingly Jeopardize Your Standing in Court," Tech Transfer eNews Blog (November 19, 2014)
• Quoted in "Door Open For Animal Clone Patents Despite Dolly Ruling," Law360 (May 8, 2014)
• Quoted in "Gene, Method Patent Rulings Said Top Issues for Life Sciences This Year," Life Sciences Law & Industry Report (2013)