Alan J. Morrison is Of Counsel at Dilworth IP and also leads his own independent practice, the Law Offices of Alan J. Morrison. With more than 30 years of experience in biotechnology and pharmaceutical patent law, Alan works closely with clients to protect their innovations and turn scientific breakthroughs into strong, enforceable assets.
He has built a career advising startups, corporations, and research institutions on complex patent and transactional matters. His work includes everything from patent prosecution to strategic counseling around infringement, validity, and licensing matters. Alan’s clients rely on his ability to turn complex science into business.
Before founding his firm in 2014, Alan held partner roles at several prominent New York firms and served as in-house counsel at Johnson & Johnson. His legal work is built on a strong academic foundation in biochemistry and molecular biophysics.
Alan is the author of Biotechnology Law: A Primer for Scientists, published by Columbia University Press. In addition to his legal practice, Alan teaches graduate courses at Columbia University on biotechnology law and related ethical issues. His classes are among the first of their kind at the university. He has also lectured internationally on issues such as gene patenting, biosimilars, and emerging challenges in patent law.
Alan’s clients appreciate his straightforward style and personal involvement. He offers the expertise of a large firm, yet clients enjoy working with him directly rather than through layers of associates. His approach is accessible, thorough, and focused on practical results.
Technology Areas
Alan’s fields of technology include radiolabeled antibodies for treating cancer, small-molecule drugs for treating neurodegenerative disorders, microsphere-based drug compositions, anti-opioid vaccines, nutraceutical compositions, stem cell-based therapeutic compositions, therapeutic catalytic nucleic acids, cell-based and gene expression-based methods for diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease, anti-viral recombinant antibodies, drug formulation and dosing, and small-molecule-based imaging methods
Publications & Presentations
- Alan J. Morrison, Drug Patents and the New Trump Administration, La Revue Des Juristes De Sciences Po, No. 27, February 2025: 65-67.
- Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Law, presented as part of the Industry 101 Series hosted by the GSAS Harvard Biotech Club, Boston, Massachusetts, October 21, 2021.
- The Ethics of Authorized Generic Drug Sales During the ANDA Exclusivity Period, presented as part of the Ethics for Biomedical Engineering course, Columbia University, New York, New York, April 13, 2021.
- Patent aspects of biotechnology investment, presented at Rockefeller University and hosted by the Tri-Institutional Biotech Club (Weill Cornell Medical Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Rockefeller University), New York, New York, March 29, 2018.
- The Biotechnology Patent: Today's Challenges, presented at Fundamentals of the Bioscience Industry, Center for Biotechnology, New York, New York, February 2, 2017, and January 30, 2018.
- Lowering drug prices by shorting drug companies' stocks while attacking their patents - public service or ethical breach?, presented as part of the Global Bioethics course, New York University, New York, New York, May 2, 2017.
- The U.S. Patent: An Update, presented at the Beijing Foreign Studies University Law School, Beijing, China, April 9, 2012.
- Biotechnology Patent Protection in the United States, presented at the Seminar on Special Topics in Exploring Anhui Province’s Corporate Investment and Development Opportunities in the United States, held under the auspices of the Anhui Provincial Government’s Development Research Center, Hefei City, Anhui Province, China, April 7, 2012.
- The New Waiting Game: Biosimilar Drugs and the 12-Year Exclusivity Period, presented as part of the Symposium on Access to Essential Medicines, Biotechnology Patents, and Global Cooperation, Temple University, Beasley School of Law, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, April 1, 2011.
- Alan J. Morrison, Rethinking the Gene Patent, Biotechnology Law Report. December 2010, 29(6): 609-614.
- What Price Biosimilars? Balancing the Innovation and Cost of Biologics in America, presented at Biologic India 2009, Mumbai, India, December 2, 2009.
- Alan J. Morrison, Biosimilars in the United States: A Brief Look at Where We Are and the Road Ahead, Biotechnology Law Report. October 2007, 26(5): 463-468.
- Non-Patent Protection for Biotechnology and Pharmaceuticals, presented at Biotechnology from Start to Finish organized by Law Seminars International, San Diego, California, March 8, 2004 (Co-Author).
- Determining Inventorship, presented at the Sixteenth Annual Pharmaceutical/Chemical Patent Practice Update sponsored by the New Jersey Intellectual Property Law Association, Committee on Chemical Practice, Iselin, New Jersey, December 12, 2002 (Co-Author).