Free
Member Since 2023
Free
2023
Charles W. Calkins
Professional Biography
Charles Calkins practices intellectual property law with a focus on patent law and intellectual property transactions. Charles, a registered patent attorney, has more than 35 years of experience in client counseling and portfolio management in patent procurement, licensing, and enforcement, primarily in the life sciences, chemical, medical, and computer software arts. His current practice includes a focus on the corporate and transactional aspects of intellectual property, including licensing, research and development/joint venture agreements, and merger, acquisition, and/or equity investment due diligence. He has been involved in well over 100 transactions in a variety of technologies, including aerospace, pharmaceuticals, commodity futures trading, medical devices, personalized genetic medicine, semiconductors, and DNA sequencing technologies, including NextGen sequencing.
Charles’ experiences allow him to understand the business value of intellectual property and work with clients to maximize return on their investments and/or acquisitions. Charles has worked with companies, investment banks, private equity groups, venture capitalists, and other institutional investment groups to conduct due diligence and provide counseling relating to potential investments, acquisitions, and/or mergers ranging in size from several hundreds of thousands of dollars to more than one billion dollars. In addition to his legal practice, Charles is a Chair of the Piedmont Angel Network, an investor in over forty emerging technology companies, and active in the regional and national technology communities. He is also past Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board at University of North Carolina Greensboro.
Charles is AV® rated by Martindale-Hubbell* and has been named to Business North Carolina’s “Legal Elite” list. He has been recognized as a North Carolina “Super Lawyer” in the areas of Intellectual Property and Mergers & Acquisitions by Super Lawyers magazine. He was recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® for Intellectual Property Law in 2018 and the 11 years immediately preceding, and for Biotechnology and Life Sciences Practice, Intellectual Property Litigation, Patent Litigation, and Patent Law in 2025 and the six years immediately preceding. He was also named a “Greensboro Lawyer of the Year” in 2013, 2015, and 2018 in the area of Patent Law; in 2017 and 2019 in the area of Patent Litigation; a “Triad Lawyer of the Year” in 2020 in the area of Intellectual Property Litigation; a “Triad Lawyer of the Year” in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2025 in the area of Patent Law; and a “Triad Lawyer of the Year” in 2024 in the area of Patent Litigation by The Best Lawyers in America®. Charles was named a “Law Impact Leader” by Business Leader magazine. He was named a “Global IP Luminary” by IP World for his exemplary work in the intellectual property legal area. In 2016, Charles was recognized among the Triad’s “Most Influential” professional executives by the Triad Business Journal for the 12th consecutive year. He is listed in the 2024 and the 12 immediately preceding editions of Chambers USA in the area of Intellectual Property, and he is listed in the 2024 and the 11 preceding editions as #1 in the area of Intellectual Property. Charles has been recognized as an “IP Star” in 2025 and the 12 years immediately preceding by Managing Intellectual Property magazine. He was recognized as a top patent practitioner in 2025 and the ten years immediately preceding by IAM Patent 1000 – The World’s Leading Patent Practitioners. Charles was named a “Patent Leader” in 2023 and 2024 by World IP Review. He was recommended by Legal 500 US in 2015, 2016, 2019, and 2021 for Patent Prosecution, and again in 2016 for Patent Portfolio Management and Licensing. Charles is a former Chair of the North Carolina Bar Association’s Intellectual Property Section and remains active on the Section Council.
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About Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP
Kilpatrick is trusted counsel to the world’s most innovative companies. To serve our groundbreaking clients, we are at the forefront of client service and on the cutting edge of law and technology. With recognized strength in the technology sector and a full range of service offerings, we deliver practical, business-centric solutions built upon strong and enduring connections.
Why Choose Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP?
Relationships first
Success at Kilpatrick rests on our strong and enduring connections with our clients and each other. We truly understand our clients’ businesses and partner closely with them to achieve their business goals.
Committed to our communities
We are committed to bettering the world outside of our offices. We invest in people and programs to connect with our communities and help them thrive.
We understand the transformative impact our firm can have on our communities, colleagues, and clients. Our commitment to active citizenship enables all team members to drive positive change through philanthropy, volunteerism, and civic and nonprofit board leadership, while advancing our values and fostering corporate, nonprofit, and school partnerships.
Closing the justice gap
We connect deserving clients with pro bono legal services.
Pro bono legal services make a transformative impact on our communities, employees, and our business clients. Kilpatrick honors the legal profession’s responsibility to serve individuals and organizations that ordinarily cannot afford representation even when basic rights and interests are at stake. We believe in a legal system that works for everyone, regardless of economic or social status. Our efforts to close the justice gap provide an excellent platform for our attorneys to develop their legal skills and engage with clients we might not otherwise encounter, making us better and more fulfilled attorneys in the process.
Innovation-focused leadership
Kilpatrick is a firm of leaders. From creating a best-in-class client experience to staying on the cutting edge of law and technology, we always strive to be at the forefront. While we are proud of our 165 years of success as a premier law firm, we are steadfastly focused on the future.
Kilpatrick’s management team is committed to driving innovative solutions that deliver value to our clients. Through our managing partners, department chairs, team leaders, and office managing partners, we seek to foster a collaborative environment that enhances our client and professional relationships through greater productivity, creativity, and efficiencies.
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