Jeff Morton is a founding partner of our San Diego office, and co-chairs Snell & Wilmer’s Life Sciences and Medical Technology, and Technology Industry Groups. He has over 15 years of experience representing both start-up and large enterprises for their intellectual property and commercial law needs. Jeff is retained on a regular basis to serve as external IP/technology counsel to companies around the world, and also represents numerous leading international law firms to protect their clients’ intellectual property rights in the United States.
Jeff has significant patent prosecution and strategic patent counseling experience in a wide range of technologies, including genomics and immunology. He also maintains an active trademark and transactional practice, and has represented clients in numerous intellectual property-related transactions. Due to his bar admissions in the United States and Canada, Jeff's practice includes providing cross-border advice to Canadian clients operating in the United States, and vice versa.
University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School (Leadership & Management Certificate)
University of British Columbia, Faculty of Law (J.D.)
Associate Editor, U.B.C. Law Review
Washington University in St. Louis, School of Medicine (Ph.D., Immunology)
University of Victoria, Faculty of Science (B.Sc., Biology and English, with distinction)
Alliance for SoCal Innovation
American Bar Association
Flinn Foundation Bioscience Roadmap Steering Committee
Licensing Executives Society, USA and Canada
MIT Enterprise Forum - San Diego
San Diego Angel Investors
San Diego Biotechnology Network
San Diego County Bar Association
Intellectual Property Section, Member at Large (2021-Present)
San Diego Entrepreneurs Exchange
San Diego Intellectual Property Law Association
San Diego Regulatory Affairs Network
Transportation Lawyers Association
The listed presentations and publications have been selected from 2017 onward.
“International IP Strategy for Startups,” Presenter, SBDC @ University of California, Irvine Beall Applied Innovation Incubator (July 13, 2021)
"Trends Related to Licensing Intellectual Property out of University and Research Institutions," Moderator, Intellectual Property Law Section of the San Diego County Bar Association (June 16, 2021)
"IP Issues in the Time of COVID-19," Co-Presenter, Snell & Wilmer Virtual CLE Series (June 15, 2021)
“Life Science Patent Law: International Perspectives for Start-Up Enterprises,” Lecturer, UC Davis School of Law (April 12, 2021)
"Transactional Legal Practice: Views from In-House and Private Practice," Co-Presenter, Grand Canyon University’s Honors College Seminar Series (March 30, 2021)
"Roundtable: How to Get Into Intellectual Property Practice with Any Background," Panelist, Intellectual Property Law Section of the San Diego County Bar Association (March 4, 2021)
"International IP Strategies for Protecting Emerging Technologies in the Life Sciences Sector," Co-Presenter, Licensing Executives Society (LES) 2020 Annual Meeting (October 19, 2020)
"Patent Fundamentals, Drafting & Prosecution," Co-Presenter, USC Stevens Center for Innovation (September 16, 2020)
“Negotiating IP Rights in Industry Sponsored Research Agreements: Structuring Ownership, Licensing, Assignment, Confidentiality, Publication, and Use Provisions,” Co-Presenter, Strafford Live Interactive Webinar (March 24, 2020)
