Caryn C. Borg-Breen, Ph.D.
Tel: 312.883.8040
Email: cborg-breen@greengriffith.com
Web: greengriffith.com
Caryn combines the focused, technical thinking of a Ph.D. chemist with the strategic and competitive approach of a trial lawyer. A founding partner of Green, Griffith & Borg-Breen, she is regarded by clients and colleagues alike as a key advisor who quickly synthesizes complex ideas and communicates them in compelling, straightforward language.
Caryn represents both plaintiffs and defendants in patent litigation and consultation arising under the Hatch‐Waxman Act. She has served as lead trial counsel in patent infringement litigation in the U.S. federal courts and argued appeals before the Federal Circuit. Caryn also has represented clients in inter partes review (IPR) and interference actions before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB).
Beginning each case with a deep-dive technical analysis, Caryn offers her clients a detailed assessment of potential outcomes.
“We bring intensity and energy to every phase of our work,” Caryn says. “Digging in early really sets us apart. From our clients’ perspective, it means they have a sense from the very beginning of how something is going to go. They know we’re invested in helping them reach their goals and they understand the process for getting there. We’re partners in that process.”
Caryn also advises biotechnology, chemical and pharmaceutical companies on freedom-to-operate, due diligence, licensing and prosecution issues regarding brand and generic medicines, biologics and biosimilars, medical devices and chemical products. Clients rely on her ability to master the technical details of their products with total recall, ensuring that every aspect of their intellectual property is diligently protected and actively defended at all stages of development and market release.
Caryn is listed in The Best Lawyers in America© in Litigation – Patent (2020), has been named an “IP Star” by Managing IP (2018-2019), was recognized in Intellectual Asset Management’s (IAM) Patent 1000 for Intellectual Property Litigation (2018-2019), and was recognized as a “Life Sciences Star” by LMG Life Sciences (2018-2019). In 2019, Caryn was a recipient of Corporate Counsel’s “Women, Influence & Power in Law” Award in the Collaborative Leadership Category, and she was selected as a “Notable Gen X Leader in Law” by Crain’s Chicago Business. In 2018, Caryn was honored as one of “Chicago’s Notable Women Lawyers” by Crain’s Custom Media. She has been selected by her peers as a Leading Lawyer in Intellectual Property Law, Leading Lawyers Network (2015-2019), and she was featured in Leading Lawyers Magazine Business Edition magazine in 2018. She has been selected by her peers as a Super Lawyer (2016-2019) and prior to that an “Illinois Rising Star” (2009-2010; 2012-2015) in Intellectual Property Litigation as published in Illinois Super Lawyers.
Before co-founding Green, Griffith & Borg-Breen, Caryn was a partner at Leydig, Voit and Mayer, Ltd. She received a J.D. degree, cum laude, from Northwestern University School of Law, a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a B.S. degree in Chemistry, magna cum laude, from the College of William and Mary.
Last updated October 2019