R. Wilson “Trey” Powers III, Ph.D., is a director in Sterne Kessler’s Trial & Appellate and Biotechnology & Chemical Practice Groups. Trey also co-chairs the firm’s PTAB Trials practice. He has served as lead counsel on many inter partes review and post-grant review proceedings and has extensive experience litigating before the U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) and U.S. district courts.
Trey specializes in the interface between district court litigation and PTAB proceedings, having delivered multiple jury verdicts well into the eight figures for his clients in the biotech and other technology spaces. He also recently secured a preliminary injunction for a client forcing the accused infringer completely out of the market. Trey brings his deep scientific knowledge to cases to simplify complex issues for judges and juries to create an effective trial narrative.
Trey was named to Lawdragon’s, “500 Leading Global IP Lawyers” (2025); World Intellectual Property Review’s, “WIPR Leaders” (2025); IAM Strategy 300 “Global Leaders Guide” (2024-2025); and Patexia’s, “100 Best Performing CAFC Attorneys Representing Appellees (Top 50).”
Trey earned his B.A. in biology from the University of Virginia and his Ph.D. in molecular and cellular biology from the University of Washington and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. There, he developed high-throughput assays for measuring the life span of eukaryotic cells. Screens carried out using these methods led Trey and his colleagues to discover that reduction in TOR pathway signaling is one mechanism by which caloric restriction extends life span. These findings were published in Science and other prestigious journals.
- Lawdragon, “500 Leading Global IP Lawyers” (2025)
- World Intellectual Property Review (WIPR), “WIPR Leaders” (2025 – 2026)
- IAM Strategy 300, “Global Leaders Guide” (2024-2025)
- Patexia, “100 Best Performing CAFC Attorneys Representing Appellants (Top 25)” (2025)
- Patexia, “100 Most Active CAFC Attorneys Representing Patent Appellants (Top 50)” (2025)
- IAM Strategy 300, “A Guide to the World’s Leading IP Strategists” (2024 – 2025)
- Patexia, “100 Most Active CAFC Attorneys Representing Patent Appellees” (2022)
- Patexia, “100 Most Active CAFC Attorneys Overall (Representing Appellants and Appellees)” (2022)
- Patexia, “100 Best Performing CAFC Attorneys Representing Appellees (Top 50)” (2022)
- DCA Live, “Rising Stars of Law” (2018)
- J.D., American University Washington College of Law
- Ph.D., Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Washington
- B.A., Biology, University of Virginia, Dean's Honors
- California
- District of Columbia
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
- United States Patent & Trademark Office
Webinar
PTAB Playbook
Navigating the New PTAB Playing Field – Session 3
Virtual,
July 16, 2025 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM EDT
Speaking Engagement
The IP Strategy Summit: Seattle
Seattle, WA,
Bell Harbor International Conference Center,
April 9, 2025 2:50 PM - 3:35 PM EDT
Webinar
2024 PTAB Year in Review: Life Sciences (Part Two)
Virtual,
February 6, 2025 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM EST
Webinar
PTAB Playbook
Evolving Landscapes: How Recent Changes Are Shaping Post-Grant Proceedings in Life Sciences
Virtual,
September 19, 2024 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM EDT
Speaking Engagement
Defensive Litigation and Risk Management Strategies
Seattle, WA,
Bell Harbor International Conference Center,
January 23, 2024 11:30 AM - 12:20 PM EST
Webinar
PTAB Briefing Webinar Series: International Trade Commission Section 337 Investigations: PTAB Impacts
July 23, 2020 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM EST
Speaking Engagement
Clinical Innovation: Fair and Effective Incentives for New Uses of Established Drugs
Washington, DC,
February 8, 2018 8:30 AM - 5:30 PM EST