Kevin O'Connor

Kevin represents his clients in all aspects of patent law, including due diligence investigations for mergers and acquisitions, patent counseling and prosecution, strategic management of patent portfolios, and opinion preparation, focusing his practice primarily on the biotechnological, pharmaceutical, and medical device industries.

Kevin’s work encompasses a broad spectrum of technologies, including therapeutics such as cellular therapies, gene therapies, vaccines, large molecules (biologics), and small molecules; diagnostic assays and laboratory reagents; gene editing; and medical devices.

Clients value Kevin’s sophisticated business and communication skills that he puts into play to effectively advise them on the practical implications of their legal strategies. Kevin has assisted clients with multimillion-dollar acquisitions and collaborations, including due diligence and agreement drafting with various intellectual property, antitrust and corporate issues.

Kevin received his Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Colorado, where his studies focused on interactions between the central nervous system and the immune system. Kevin is author of 21 peer-reviewed journal articles and has presented his work at various national and international scientific meetings.

After finishing his graduate work, Kevin joined the Molecular and Cellular Pathobiology Program at Children’s Memorial Research Center in Chicago to study the pathophysiology of a pediatric inflammatory disease.

Kevin has been listed as a Rising Star in the 2016–2017 editions of Illinois Super Lawyers. In 2016 the Law Bulletin Publishing Company chose him as one of the “40 Illinois Attorneys Under 40 to Watch.” Kevin has donated his time and energy to advocacy for blood cancer research and has served on the Leadership Board of the Illinois Chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

In 2023, Kevin joined Portal Innovations Founder & CEO John Flavin for a live taping of the podcast "Lab Rats to Unicorns." Kevin and John co-moderated a discussion with Rick Silverman and Hande Ozdinler of Northwestern University about life sciences start-ups.