Tracey joined Sandberg Phoenix as a shareholder in 2023, and is Practice Group Leader of the Intellectual Property practice group. With over 25 years of experience in intellectual property law, Tracey serves clients of all sizes across industries including biotechnology, agribusiness, food, health care and life sciences. He counsels clients on patent, trademark, and copyright acquisition, licensing, enforcement issues, due diligence, prosecution, litigation and other general business matters.
A testament to the quality of his work, Tracey has been serving many of his clients for over a decade, and some for more than two. In his primary role as a patent attorney, Tracey is dedicated to gaining in-depth knowledge about each client’s invention and the technology surrounding it, in order to develop strategies and arguments that will impact their bottom line and drive success throughout their product portfolio. By getting involved early and taking a proactive approach to the patenting process, Tracey has saved clients time, money and energy by allowing them to focus research and resources on promising avenues rather than just building their patent portfolios.
Outside the office, Tracey enjoys traveling, playing and watching many different sports, and spending time with friends and family.
Led the IP due diligence for an expansion of business into a new sector including a $250 million dollar strategic investment partnership agreement. This due diligence covered all aspects of patents and trade secrets protecting both compositions and methods essential to the strategic partnership.
IP Strategy and Implementation for Top-Selling Animal Health Vaccine - Since 2004, Tracey has been involved with planning and implementing a strategy for protecting what eventually became the most successful animal health vaccine of all time based on yearly sales. This involved assessing the state of the art of vaccines against the disease, drafting patent applications focusing on the differences between this vaccine and the others that were developed or are being developed, prosecuting those patent applications in front of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and advising on the prosecution of corresponding patent applications worldwide. To date more than 30 patents have been issued in the U.S. alone, with more currently undergoing examination.
IP Due Diligence in $3.4 Billion Acquisition of Medical Device Manufacturer - Led IP due diligence for a major medical device company, including in-depth research and analysis of both the target company and its competitors, resulting in our client’s decision to move ahead with its $3.4 billion acquisition of a medical device manufacturer.
American Intellectual Property Law Association Biotechnology Committee
AUTM
Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association
Patent Trial and Appeal Board Bar Association
U.S. Patent Office Biotechnical/ Chemical/Pharmaceutical Partnership Group
J.D., Franklin Pierce Law Center
• Master's in Intellectual Property
• RISK, The Journal of Health, Safety and Environment, Editor-in-Chief
B.S., University of Nebraska
Missouri
United States District Court for the District of Kansas
United States Patent and Trademark Office
Muscular Dystrophy Association
Neuromuscular Access Initiative
Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy
“Distinctions Between the EPO and U.S. Patent System,” National Institutes of Health webinar (September 2021)
“Back to School: Legal Issues Affecting Education Institutions,” webinar (May 2019)
“Leading the Way to First Fridays” (October 2017)
"4 Simple Ways to Protect the Value of Your Brand Name," St. Louis Business Journal (June 2023)
“Annual Survey of Law,” Intellectual Property Section - Patent, Kansas Bar Association (2020)