Patrice Jean is the Chair of the Life Sciences Practice at Hughes Hubbard & Reed, an international law firm based in New York City. She has over a decade of experience counselling leading and startup pharmaceutical, chemical and biotechnology companies in all areas of patent law, including asserting and defending patent rights underlying core technologies and innovations. Patrice graduated summa cum laude from Xavier University of Louisiana in 1993 with a degree in biochemistry, and she holds a Ph.D. in molecular biology from Princeton University. She graduated from Columbia University School of Law in 2002, where she was Editor-in-Chief of the Columbia Science & Technology Law Review. Patrice currently serves as Vice-President of the New York Intellectual Property Law Education Foundation and is a Board member of the New York Intellectual Property Law Association.