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In Managing Intellectual Property Magazine's 'Five minutes with' feature, Marshall Gerstein Managing Partner Jeff Sharp shares lessons that have shaped his career and the firm's success as it celebrates its 70th anniversary this fall. Jeff lends perspective on the firm's innovative clients who are at the forefront of emerging technologies and life-changing developments, as well as leadership lessons that have served him well over the years.
"I tell people I have the best science job anywhere," Jeff told the publication. "We represent remarkable people and companies who are inventing the future – scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs, including several Nobel Prize winners. We get to help innovators turn their discoveries into products that have real-world impact, and see what's next before the rest of the world does."
About Marshall Gerstein's 70th anniversary, Jeff says that it's been remarkable to see both the firm and the science evolve. Over the decades, I've watched ideas that were pure theory in the 1980s – gene therapies, targeted cancer treatments, personalized medicine – become real, life-changing technologies. It's a rare privilege to have a front-row seat to that kind of progress. And to watch our firm grow alongside it – helping protect the very innovations that have redefined modern science – is deeply rewarding."
Jeff also reflects on the mentors who shaped his leadership philosophy. "Mike Borun, who founded our biotech practice, was a former Chicago Public Schools high school biology teacher turned patent lawyer. He believed being a patent lawyer was the best job in the world (and not just because his audience changed from high school students to Nobel Prize winners!). Owen Murray, who trained me as a young lawyer and recently celebrated his 90th birthday, taught me precision, patience, and perspective."
"Developing empathy for that diversity of thought is one of the most important leadership lessons there is," Jeff adds. "I'd tell my younger self: slow down, listen more, and don't assume understanding; earn it... Two ideas guide me: 'Onward' and 'Yes.' 'Onward' reminds me to keep perspective – move forward, learn, adjust, don't dwell. The second comes from the world of improv. The idea is to say 'yes' to opportunities, to engage and build on what's in front of you instead of shutting it down. It's about openness and momentum."
Read Jeff's Q&A in Managing Intellectual Property Magazine here.
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