ATLANTA (November 17, 2016) – Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP (SGR) is pleased to announce that Charles Vorndran, Ph.D. has joined its Atlanta office as a partner in the Intellectual Property (IP) Department.

“Charlie is a welcome addition to SGR’s large and growing IP practice,” said Greg Kirsch, department head of the firm’s Intellectual Property practice. “His scientific depth and legal experience in life science patent law, working with both companies and universities, will help us further expand our existing life science patent practice.”

Dr. Vorndran is a skilled life science patent attorney with 17 years of experience in the patent field. He focuses his practice on domestic and international patent preparation and prosecution in a wide array of biotechnology fields, including small molecule therapies, genetics, proteins, oligonucleotides, anti-virals, antibody technology, screening assays, DNA/RNA technology, stem cells, tissue engineering, medical devices, microarrays and peptide nucleic acid technology. In addition, Dr. Vorndran counsels clients on patent portfolio management and development, drafts validity/invalidity and infringement/non-infringement opinions, and conducts post grant proceedings at the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

Dr. Vorndran has a B.S. in zoology and a Ph.D. in biological sciences from the University of Texas-Austin. He earned his J.D. from Southern Methodist University.

About Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP

SGR is a full service, international law firm that advises regional, national and global businesses on a wide range of legal matters. The firm’s 200 attorneys provide legal counsel in more than 45 specialized practice areas, including corporate transactions, litigation, intellectual property, aviation, banking, construction and employment law. Founded in 1893, SGR has offices in Atlanta, Austin, Jacksonville, New York, Washington, D.C. and Frankfurt, Germany.