Emory University Appoints Laura Fahey Fritts as Director of License and Patent Strategy

Emory University announced that Laura Fahey Fritts, MPH/MBA, JD, will join its Office of Technology Transfer as director of license and patent strategy starting September 1. An alumna of Emory Law School, Fahey Fritts brings extensive experience as a patent attorney and litigator, particularly in pharmaceutical and chemical patent litigation.

Prior to joining Emory, Fahey Fritts was a partner at Kasowitz, Benson, Torres, & Friedman, a New York-based litigation boutique, where she practiced in the Atlanta office as part of the intellectual property group. Over the past 12 years, her work focused on complex patent disputes involving pharmaceutical products and chemical compounds.

In her new role, Fahey Fritts will oversee Emory’s internal patent team and provide contracting guidance to the university’s licensing staff. Todd Sherer, executive director of technology transfer, emphasized the importance of her position, stating, "Laura's role is crucial for Emory's success with its licensees. Her focus will be on keeping Emory at the table during lengthy product development life cycles as we want to maintain a productive partnership with our corporate licensees."

Sherer also highlighted Fahey Fritts’s litigation background as an asset, noting her ability to identify and address potential issues before they escalate into disputes. "Laura already has a very successful career and we feel fortunate to have her joining our team," he added.

Fahey Fritts has received multiple professional accolades, including recognition as an LMG Life Sciences Star, designation as an "Up and Coming" intellectual property attorney by Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business, inclusion among the "Top 250 Women in IP" by Managing Intellectual Property magazine, and a Georgia "Rising Star" in IP litigation by SuperLawyers magazine.

She described her prior work as involving detailed analysis of patentability across a range of pharmaceutical products, including active pharmaceutical ingredients, synthetic manufacturing routes, treatment methods, and drug formulations. "It has given me a unique perspective on the value of patents in this space," Fahey Fritts said.

Fahey Fritts holds a chemistry degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and earned an MPH/MBA from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She graduated from Emory Law School in 2002, where she served as executive managing editor of the Bankruptcy Developments Journal.

Reflecting on her return to Emory, she remarked, "I never dreamed I'd be coming back to Emory but I'm excited, it's thrilling. I remember the first time I ever came to Emory, it was in high school for a volleyball tournament, and I still remember the feeling of driving onto the campus."

Emory continues to advance its technology transfer and innovation initiatives, including significant investments in artificial intelligence and healthcare innovation in partnership with institutions like Georgia Tech. These efforts aim to bolster Georgia’s economic growth and position Atlanta as a leading technology hub.