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Awards & Honors
Dr. Merani has received multiple awards and has been honored in both national and international forums for her legal accomplishments:
- Named "Patent Prosecution Attorney of the Year" in 2015 "LMG Life Sciences Annual Awards" by Legal Media Group (LMG). This awards ceremony recognized the industry's leading professionals, across North America and Europe, for their accomplishments over the past 12 months.
- Recognized by Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) among the World’s Leading Patent Professionals in the "IAM Patent 1000", a guide that identifies the top patent practitioners and firms in 41 jurisdictions around the globe (2012-2015). In the 2015 guide, she was deemed "transactional cognoscenti" and "a favorite of venture capitalists".
- Featured in the National Law Journal's 2015 "IP Hot List."
- Named to the Daily Journal's list of the Top Intellectual Property Attorneys in 2015, 2014, 2013 and 2012. In this list, she was recognized among the Top 25 Portfolio Managers & Patent Prosecutors.
- Named to Diversity & the Bar's 2014 "Rainmakers" List. In this list, she was highlighted among successful minority attorneys who continue to lead the industry.
- Recognized in the 2014 and 2015 Legal 500“United States" as being an outstanding practitioner. In the 2014 guide, she was noted for her work in medical device and biotechnology patent matters.
- Received a "Star" distinction in the 2014 and 2015 LMG"Life Sciences" survey for Intellectual Property. In this guide, she was recognized in the areas of patent prosecution, advisory, strategy and management, and was specifically credited as "a vital part of our global strategy" by a key client.
- Named to The Recorder's "Women Leaders in Tech Law" list in 2014 and 2015. In these lists, she was recognized for demonstrating that she can lead major cases and deals within the tech industry.
- Named to the Daily Journal's list of the Top Women Lawyers in 2014. In this list, she was recognized amongst the Top 75 Litigators & the Top 25 Corporate Transactions and Regulatory Specialists.
- In a survey of her peers published in Los Angeles magazine and Super Lawyers magazine, Dr. Merani was named as one of Southern California’s “Rising Stars” in intellectual property law and was named one of Orange County’s top lawyers, published in OC Metro magazine.
Read below for an interview with Salima in the Women Leaders in Tech Law publication.
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Professional Profile
Salima A. Merani, Ph.D. is a partner in our Orange County office. Dr. Merani has fifteen years of experience in building patent portfolios for life sciences companies, including several medtech and biotech companies. She also has extensive experience in conducting patent due diligence for investors, such as venture capital and investment firms.
Dr. Merani provides a unique perspective to both investors and emerging growth companies with her wide-ranging experience in US and international patent and trademark portfolio management, licensing, strategic offensive positioning, infringement analysis, IPOs, acquisitions, and managing global patent risk.
Dr. Merani’s technical experience in medical devices includes strategic guidance in the fields of aesthetics, orthopedics, cardiovascular and neuroscience, including medical implants, denervation and tissue ablation, regenerative technology, antibody technology, hypertension, diabetes, and dermatological conditions. Her technical work outside the medical arena includes a deep knowledge in the fields of cosmetic formulations and nutraceuticals.
Dr. Merani has received multiple awards and has been honored in both national and international forums for her legal accomplishments. She won the prestigious Legal Media Group’s award for "Patent Prosecution Attorney of the Year" in 2015 in the "LMG Life Sciences Annual Awards". She was featured in The National Law Journal's 2015 "IP Hot List" and deemed "a favorite of venture capitalists" in Intellectual Asset Management's 2015 "IAM Patent 1000" list. She was also granted a Star distinction in the 2015 and 2014 LMG "Life Sciences" survey for Intellectual Property. Dr. Merani was recently recognized in The Recorder's list of Women Leaders in Tech Law, and honored in the Daily Journal's list of the Top Women Lawyers. For the past several years (2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015), Dr. Merani has been recognized in the Daily Journal's list of the Top Intellectual Property Attorneys, where she has been identified among the Top 25 Portfolio Managers & Patent Prosecutors of Intellectual Property. The Legal 500 "United States 2015" guide highlighted Dr. Merani's extensive experience in conducting patent due diligence. She has also been named as one of Orange County’s top lawyers, published in OC Metro magazine. Dr. Merani’s accomplishments are detailed in the Awards & Honors section.
Dr. Merani is past Vice Chair of the AIPLA (American Intellectual Property Law Association) USPTO Inter Partes Patent Proceedings Committee, which oversees the Interference, Reexamination, and Derivation subcommittees. She also served on the AIPLA’s Special Task Force on AIA (America Invents Act) Rulemaking. Dr. Merani is also a founding member of the Firm's USPTO Trials and Post Grant Proceedings Committee, and has represented clients in multiple patent disputes before the USPTO and international patent and trademark offices. She is an author and speaker on strategic patent portfolio management.
During law school, Dr. Merani served as Article Editor of the Berkeley Technology Law Journal and was an advisor for the Annual Review of Law and Technology. At Berkeley, she received an Award for Excellence in Legal Writing. Dr. Merani was a summer associate with the firm in 1999 and she joined the firm as an associate in 2000.
Specializing In
Cases, Articles, Speeches & Seminars
Speeches & Seminars
Dr. Merani has been an invited speaker on various IP topics, including due diligence and the America Invents Act, at the IP Impact Silicon Valley Conference, the OCTANe Medical Device & Investor Form, the University of Southern California, and the University of California, Berkeley.
Articles & Books
Contributor, 7 Intellectual Property Issues Startup Entrepreneurs Should Not Overlook, JD Supra Legal Perspectives (September 2015).
Quoted in 7 Intellectual Property Mistakes Startup Entrepreneurs Often Make, JD Supra Legal Perspectives (February 2014).
Co-author, "Understanding Legal Trends in the Private Equity and Venture Capital Market, 2013 ed.: Leading Lawyers on Navigating the Current Economy, Managing Risks, and Understanding Changing SEC Regulations (Inside the Minds)," Aspatore Law Books from Thomson Reuters (2013).
Professional Memberships
Dr. Merani is past Vice Chair of the AIPLA (American Intellectual Property Law Association) USPTO Inter Partes Patent Proceedings Committee, which oversees the Interference, Reexamination, and Derivation subcommittees.
She also served on the AIPLA’s Special Task Force on AIA (America Invents Act) Rulemaking.