October 5, 2023

Member Spotlight

Izabella Higson

Izabella is a second year associate in the litigation practice group at Marshall Gerstein IP.  She earned her BSc in Biotechnology from Imperial College in London, before attaining her JD from UCLA Law school in California.  She is half English, half Polish, and grew up in Switzerland so is no stranger to moving around.  She has fallen in love with the beautiful city of Chicago and all the lovely people in it.

Q:  How long have you been a member of IPLAC?

A:  I joined IPLAC almost as soon as I moved to Chicago, just over a year ago. I went to law school in California but moved to Chicago immediately after graduation to study for the bar exam – in June 2022. I went to my first IPLAC event (the 2022 Pride Month welcome event) before my furniture had even arrived!

Q:  What is your practice like?

A:  I work in the life sciences patent litigation group so I focus mainly on pharmaceutical litigation matters. Most of my practice so far has focused on mRNA vaccines and biologics, but I have been known to dabble in trade secret law too.

Q:  What do you enjoy the most about being an IP attorney in Chicago?

A:  Chicago’s IP community is fantastic – I have really enjoyed meeting such a wonderful group of people. Also, Chicago has direct flights to Poland, Switzerland, and England (where all of my family is) so its easy for them to visit, and vice versa.

Q:  What do you like the most about being an IPLAC member?

A:  I really like how many varied events there are – the different opportunities each event provides are what I love the most.

Q:  What do you like to do for fun, whether IP-related or not?

A:  I really enjoy rock climbing, skiing, and reading but my true passion is organising fun things to do with my friends. In another life I would have been a party planner! I also love board games, so many of my weekends involve a spot of games late into the night (i.e. 9pm because I really value my sleep).