Nicholas Leach - Vice President of Chief Patent Counsel, Kimberly-Clark Corporation

by Phillip Bellury

Nicholas Leach is a a 1982 graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering degree. He received his J.D. degree from the University of Georgia School of Law in 1985.

After working in private practice from 1985 through 1992, he joined Kimberly-Clark Corporation in Roswell, Georgia as a Senior Patent Attorney – International. His job responsibilities over the following 3 years focused on advising management of K-C af

In 1995, Leach was named Patent Counsel for Personal Care Materials Development (PCMD) in Roswell. His position entailed advising PCMD management regarding patent and trade secret issues affecting various research, development and commercialization projects undertaken by PCMD, and included patent validity and infringement opinions, joint development and supply agreements, and domestic and foreign patent prosecution.

From 1996 to 2000, Leach held the positions of European Patent Counsel and later Chief Patent Counsel – Europe, Africa and the Middle East in Kimberly-Clark’s European headquarters in Reigate, England. He was responsible for advising management on all patent-related issues arisi Europe, the Mid-East and Africa. His work entailed managing patent infringement patent validity and infringAfrica, patent opposition proceedPate and Africa. His work enta ng ement opinions, ng in Europe, the Mid-East joint development and licensing agreements, and review of European Commission regulations and guidelines (“Green Papers”) in the intellectual property area.

From July 2000 to July 2003, Leach held the position of Chief Patent Counsel – International. He was responsible for advising K-C afrelated matters globally except for the U.S. and Canada. Working with a team of Kimberly Clark international patent attorneys, he was involved in supervising patent infringement litigation in Australia, South Korea, the Philippines, Chile and South Africa, mediation and arbitration proceedings, patent opposition proceedings in Europe, South Korea and Australia, preparation of patent validity and infringement opinions, licensing and other legal agreements Leach also oversaw the company’s $15.6 million international patent budget and headed up Kimberly Clark Global Patent Management Team comprising patent attorneys, paralegals and administrative assistants responsible for the company’s global patent

In July 2003, Leach was promoted to his current position of V.P. & Chief Patent Counsel. He is now responsible for management of Kimberly Clark’s global portfolio of patents, industrial designs, trade secrets and proprietary information and related budget of $35.5 million. He supervises all Kimberly Clark’s patent attorneys, paralegals and support staff (physically located in of

His personal interests include enjoying life with my wife, Leah, and two sons, Nicholas, Jr. and Colin, traveling, scuba diving and inline roller skating.