Deirdre M. Wells

Deirdre M. Wells is a director and trial lawyer in Sterne Kessler’s Trial & Appellate Practice Group and the firm’s hiring director. Companies turn to Deirdre when high-stakes intellectual property (IP) disputes threaten core products, revenue, and competitive position. She leads complex IP litigation from early case strategy through trial, with a focus on positioning clients to win—not just litigate.

Clients rely on Deirdre to translate complex technical and legal issues into clear, compelling narratives that resonate with judges and juries. She combines technical fluency with strategic storytelling and courtroom advocacy to ensure critical issues are not only understood but remembered—driving favorable case outcomes.

She has secured successful jury verdicts for both plaintiffs and defendants in high-stakes IP litigation. On the plaintiff side, she has obtained verdicts of willful patent infringement and willful false advertising, along with eight-figure damages awards and permanent injunctions, protecting flagship products, reinforcing her clients’ market exclusivity, and holding their competitors accountable. On the defense side, she has repeatedly eliminated significant exposure, securing complete noninfringement and invalidity verdicts that preserve her clients’ ability to operate and compete. In multiple instances, her aggressive, unconventional thinking has led to complete defensive victories early in the case.

Across these matters, Deirdre uses IP litigation as a strategic tool to create leverage, deter competitors, preserve market share, and deliver outcomes aligned with her clients’ broader business objectives. She represents companies facing their most consequential IP disputes, whether enforcing critical rights or defending against existential threats.

Her practice spans patent litigation (utility and design patents), trademark and trade dress litigation, false advertising claims under the Lanham Act, and unfair competition disputes. She represents clients before federal district courts, the U.S. International Trade Commission (Section 337 investigations), and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. She also advises on IP portfolio strategy, licensing, and post-grant proceedings (including inter partes review, post-grant review, and reexams), helping clients anticipate risk, identify leverage, and strengthen their competitive position.

Deirdre represents clients across consumer products, pharmaceuticals, and advanced mechanical and electrical technologies, giving her a practical understanding of how innovation translates into competitive advantage and how quickly that advantage can be challenged.

She is also dedicated to pro bono work, representing veterans, asylum seekers, and low-income clients.

Deirdre earned her J.D. from Harvard Law School and her B.A., magna cum laude, in biology and French from the College of the Holy Cross. Prior to law school, she conducted biochemistry research focused on protein splicing.

Outside of her practice, Deirdre enjoys traveling with her husband and three children, who keep her grounded and continue to sharpen the judgment and storytelling she brings to her work as a trial lawyer.

Technical Publications

• “Supreme Court Grants Review in Case on Patent Exhaustion,” V&E IP Insights E-communication, October 8, 2012 (co-author).
• “Federal Circuit Reopens Bid to Take Generic Zegerid Off the Market,” V&E IP Insights E-communication, September 7, 2012 (co-author).
• “Federal Circuit Confirms ANDA Filer May Carve Out Patented Uses to Avoid Infringement,” V&E IP Insights E-communication, February 10, 2012 (co-author).
• “Eastern District of Texas Court Recognizes Value in Unique Scheduling Orders in Multi-Defendant Cases,” V&E IP Insights E-communication, November 8, 2011 (co-author).
• Kerrigan, A.M., Powers, T.L., Dorval, D.M., Reitter, J.N., and Mills, K.V. (2009) Protein splicing of the three Pyrococcus abyssiribonucleotide reductase inteins.  Biophys. Res. Commun. 387, 153-157.
• Mills, K.V., Connor, K.R., Dorval, D.M., and Lewandowski, K.T. (2006) Protein Purification via Temperature-Dependent, Intein-Mediated Cleavage from an Immobilized Metal Affinity Resin.  Biochem. 356, 86-93.
• Mills, K.V., Dorval, D.M., Lewandowski, K.T. (2005) Kinetic analysis of the individual steps of protein splicing for the Pyrococcus abyssi PolII intein.  Biol. Chem 280, 2714-2720.

Abstracts:

• Mills, K., Reitter, J.,Dorval, D., Lewandowski, K., Marieni, M., Duffee, L., Donahue, C. (2011) Non-canonical inteins: Alternate mechanisms for protein splicing. Protein Science 20-Supl, 180.
• Marieni, M.D., Duffee, L.R., York, D.J.,Dorval, D.M., Reitter, J.N. and Mills, K.V. (2011) The influence of conserved catalytic residues on the mechanism of protein splicing of the Pyrococcus abyssi PolII intein. FASEB J. 25, 520.10.
• Donahue, C.A., York, D.J., Dorval, D.M., Reitter, J.N. and Mills, K.V. (2011) Determining the activation barrier and pH-dependence of each step of protein splicing. FASEB J.25, 520.6.
• Duffee, L.R., York, D.J., Dorval, D.M., Reitter, J.N. and Mills, K.V. (2010) A kinetic analysis of each step of protein splicing of the Pyrococcus abyssiPolII intein. FASEB J. 24, 463.5.
• Mills, K.V., Reitter, J.N., Duffee, L.R., York, D.J., Dorval, D.M., and Lewandowski, K.T. (2010) Non-canonical inteins: alternate mechanisms for protein splicing. FASEB J. 24, 520.11.
• Nadelson, A.C., York, D.J., Dorval, D.M., Lewandowski, K.T., Connor, K.R., Reitter, J.N. and Mills, K.V. (2010) Manipulation of protein splicing side reactions to facilitate protein purification and expressed protein ligation. FASEB J. 24, 463.13.
• York, D.J., Duffee, L.R., Dorval, D.M., Reitter, J.N. and Mills, K.V. (2010) Estimating the activation barrier to each step of protein splicing for the non-canonical  abyssiPolII intein. FASEB J. 24, 463.18.
• Duffee, L.R., Nadelson, A.C., York, D.J., Dorval, D.M., Reitter, J.N. and Mills, K.V. (2009) Influence of conserved residues on individual steps of protein splicing of the non-canonical Pyrococcus abyssiPolII intein. Protein Science 18-Supl, 86.
• Nadelson, A.C., York, D.J., Lewandowski, K.T., Dorval, D.M., Connor, K.R., Reitter, J.N. and Mills, K.V. (2009) Development of protein purification strategies using the Pyrococcus abyssiPolII intein. Protein Science 18-Supl, 86.
• Mills, K.V., Reitter, J.N., Connor, K.R., Kerrigan, A.M.,Dorval, D.M., Drago, M.J., Lewandowski, K.T. and Powers, T.L. (2009) Non-canonical inteins: Alternate mechanisms of protein splicing. Protein Science 18-Supl, 171.
• Kerrigan, A.M., Powers, T.L., Dorval, D.M., Reitter, J.N. and Mills, K.V. (2009) The influence of extein residues on the protein splicing of three Pyroccocus abyssiFASEB J. 22, 502.3.
• Kerrigan, A.M., Powers, T.L., Dorval, D.M., Reitter, J.N. and Mills, K.V. (2008) The dependence of three  abyssiinteins on extein sequence for efficient protein splicing. FASEB J. 20, 611.13.
• Mills, K.V., Reitter, J.N., Connor, K.R., Dorval, D.M., Drago, M.J., Lewandowski, K.T., and Powers, T.L. (2008) Alternate mechanisms of protein splicing by non-canonical inteins. Abstracts of the ASBMB 2008 National Meeting.
• Dorval, D.M., Connor, K.R., and Mills, K.V. (2006) Catalysis of individual steps of protein splicing of the Pyrococcus abyssi PolII intein. FASEB J.20, A40.
• Powers, T.L., Drago, M.J., Dorval, D.M., Connor, K.R., and Mills, K.V. (2006) Protein splicing of a non-canonical Clostridium thermocellum intein with N-terminal Gln. FASEB J. 20, A964.
• Mills, K.V., Lewandowski, K.T., and Dorval, D.M.(2005) The Mechanism of Protein Splicing of the Pyrococcus abyssi PolII intein. Protein Science 14-Supl, 87.
• Lewandowski, K.T., Dorval, D.M., and Mills, K.V. (2005) A Kinetic study of the protein splicing mechanism of the Pyrococcus abyssiPolII intein. FASEB J. 19, A1401.