Quarles attorney Lewis paves path from lab to courtroom

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Jessica Lewis has a bachelor’s degree in zoology and a Ph.D. in molecular and cellular biology. So, of course, she became a lawyer.

She spent years in the lab first, but realized she did not to write research grants for the rest of her life. She also was reluctant to limit her scientific focus.

“When you run your own lab, you become intensely focused on one field; you become the expert in what you work on,” Lewis said. “You have tunnel vision. Maybe it’s attention deficit, but I like to be exposed to lots of different technology.”

She decided to leave the lab for the courtroom, but her science background continues to play a key role in her position as a patent attorney with the intellectual property group at Quarles & Brady in Madison.

“I would say what we do is about 50 percent science and 50 percent law,” she said. “I don’t think I could do this job without the strong foundation that I have. The ability to pick it up fairly quickly is key.

“Inventors don’t want to teach us their inventions. The clients don’t want their inventors to sit down and spend four hours explaining what DNA is.”

About half of her practice deals with IP litigation. The other half deals with patents, often from companies, academic institutions or quasi-academic institutions such as Mayo Clinic. She works to lock down the rights to innovations with antibodies, stem cell cases and vaccines, among others.

“You use your science background,” Lewis said. “It’s not just something to impress clients. They’re not impressed with Ph.D.s. They deal with them all the time.”

After four years as an attorney, Lewis said she most enjoys the diversity in her work, even if all that variety can be tough to manage.

“While I love the fact that we work on so many different things, sometimes it can make your head twirl,” Lewis said. “We juggle. I don’t even know how many open matters I have right now. And it’s difficult billing 12 things when you don’t spend a full hour on any of them.”

Wisconsin Law Journal: What is the best part of being an attorney?
Jessica Lewis: The best part of my job is getting to work with clients with inventions in so many different technology areas. In the course of one week or even one day, I might handle matters related to vaccines, stem cells, neurotoxins, algae and viruses.

WLJ: If you hadn’t become a lawyer, what would you have done?
Lewis: I probably would have stayed in science, probably in developmental biology, with the goal of becoming a professor with my own research lab.

WLJ: If you could be a superhero, who would you be?
Lewis: Wonder Woman! She’s tall, gorgeous and has a Lasso of Truth. I think a Lasso of Truth would really help my social life … and maybe my law practice, too.

WLJ: What was your most useful law school course?
Lewis: I suppose my law and science seminar was my most useful law school class. It was a writing-intensive seminar taught by Judge Richard Posner and covered a wide variety of technologies such as carbon trading, internet neutrality, virtual economies and genetic testing. I loved digging into these topics and writing about the intersection of the technology and law.

WLJ: What was your least-favorite course in law school?
Lewis: I really disliked civil procedure. I found it to be painfully dull.

WLJ: How would your mother describe you in one word?
Lewis: Independent.

WLJ: What do you miss most about your childhood?
Lewis: I miss how close I was to my older sister, Melissa. She was diagnosed with schizophrenia when I was in high school and, due to her mental illness, she pulled away from the family. We often didn’t know where she was living and wouldn’t know how she was doing until we would hear that she had been hospitalized again. I really miss her.

WLJ: What do you consider your biggest achievement to date?
Lewis: I consider my graduate work and my Ph.D. to be my biggest achievements thus far. It was a long haul, but I had a wonderful graduate advisor and really enjoyed my research. Since none of my family members are scientists or academics, it felt great to have close family attend my doctoral dissertation presentation and hear about my research. Also, I wouldn’t be able to do this job that I love without such a strong foundation in molecular biology, cell biology and genetics.

WLJ: Finish this sentence: Happiness is …
Lewis: Happiness is being loved for all of your strengths and in spite of all of your faults.