Celebrating 11 Years of Double Helix Law: Different by Design.
- May 21
- 5 min read
Updated: Jun 2
Long Version
For those wanting to learn much more about our first 11 years.
This year marks our 11th anniversary at Double Helix Law. What began as a focused vision, to build a different kind of intellectual property law firm for life sciences companies has grown into a trusted strategic IP partner and fractional patent team supporting innovators across therapeutics, diagnostics, life sciences devices, software, and research tools.
From the beginning, we set out to challenge a core assumption in the industry: that the traditional law firm model is the best way to build and manage patent portfolios, navigate freedom-to-operate issues, and perform strategic IP diligence. In our experience, it often is not. Traditional law firm models are frequently reactive, cost-prohibitive, and misaligned with how life sciences companies actually innovate and operate. Over time, that approach can quietly lead to weaker outcomes, often without companies fully realizing it until years later.
Our approach is fundamentally different. We are highly active, not reactive. We work as an extension of our clients’ teams, often serving as a fractional intellectual property department deeply integrated with both the science and the business.
That means proactively building portfolios, identifying competitive risks early, engaging strategically with the patent office, and aligning IP strategy with real-world R&D and business objectives. We believe the strongest IP portfolios are not built passively. They are built through close collaboration, deep technical understanding, and active strategic management over time.
This approach is possible because our model is different. As a fully remote firm, our clients are not paying inflated fees to support expensive office space that provides little real value to them. Instead, we invest in understanding our clients’ technologies, markets, and competitive landscapes, training our team rigorously, and building advanced internal systems, including customized DHL artificial intelligence tools that help us work more efficiently and effectively. The result is a more engaged, more strategic, and more cost-effective approach to life sciences IP.
This model is grounded in over 25 years of experience in life sciences patent law, including 7 years at traditional law firms and more than a decade in a leadership role within a large in-house patent team at a public life sciences company. These experiences fundamentally shaped how we built Double Helix Law, combining the best elements of in-house practice with the technical rigor of top-tier firms, then evolving those systems over the past 11 years into a structured, repeatable approach that consistently exceeds expectations and stays within our clients’ IP budgets.
The difference shows up in outcomes. For example, we worked with a life sciences device company navigating a highly complex patent situation while positioning itself for acquisition. Through a proactive portfolio strategy and close coordination with international counsel, including a successful European opposition effort, we helped the company secure 5 U.S. patents in a key patent family in less than 3 years. The strengthened portfolio helped support a successful acquisition by a large healthcare company.
We have also had strong success helping clients obtain valuable patents in difficult-to-patent cell therapy areas. One cell therapy client came to us after struggling to obtain patents while working with a well-known traditional patent firm. By restructuring the strategy, engaging much more closely with the client’s scientific team, and taking a far more active approach with the patent office, we helped the company secure 5 U.S. patents and numerous foreign patents covering its core technology, fundamentally changing the trajectory of its portfolio. This led the company’s VP of R&D to conclude: “We’ve enjoyed how closely DHL works with us to understand our technologies and IP issues.”
For another cell therapy client, we have helped secure 7 U.S. patents and 34 international patents protecting its core technology platform. This led the company’s Senior Director of IP to conclude: “DHL has handled our patent matters for years, and we’ve been impressed by their ability to apply a deep understanding of patent law to our complex biotechnologies.”
Over the years, we have also become a trusted diligence partner for investors, acquirers, and companies evaluating complex life sciences IP positions and freedom-to-operate risks. Whether supporting financings, acquisitions, licensing transactions, or strategic portfolio assessments, our focus remains the same: providing practical, business-aligned IP guidance grounded in deep technical and legal analysis.
Our strength ultimately comes from our people and our systems. Unlike traditional firms, where quality and strategy can vary significantly across teams, our approach is built around consistent training, close collaboration, and shared strategic principles. Mike, who has been with the firm for 10 years, Vasanth, our patent agent who has been with us for 5 years, and Dominic, a technical specialist currently in law school, have all been trained within this system. And Judy, our experienced paralegal helps assure that our filings are done properly and on time. Scientifically, our team includes deep expertise in cell and molecular biology, complemented by growing strengths in software, devices, and artificial intelligence. We also work closely with Venkatesh, our software and AI developer, who has played an important role in building and refining the internal systems that make our practice more effective and more efficient.
We are deeply grateful to the clients, colleagues, and long-standing professional relationships that have supported Double Helix Law over the past 11 years. Many of our clients came to us through referrals and trusted industry relationships, and that trust continues to shape how we grow and improve.
As the life sciences industry becomes increasingly complex, we believe the need for proactive, business-aligned intellectual property strategy will only continue to grow. We also believe the overpriced, traditional law firm model will continue to struggle to meet that need. At Double Helix Law, we have spent the past 11 years building a more integrated, more strategic, and more effective approach to life sciences IP, and we are excited to continue building on that foundation in the years ahead.
About DHL
Double Helix Law helps innovative life sciences companies and investors build, evaluate, and protect strategically valuable IP positions. We often operate less like traditional outside counsel and more like an embedded fractional IP department, working closely with clients to build stronger patent portfolios, navigate difficult IP and freedom-to-operate situations, and support financings, acquisitions, and strategic diligence. Our lower-overhead operating model allows deeper strategic integration for better results. Learn more about DHL and meet the team.
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5/21/26 Published (EJV)
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