Biography

Sean Seymore joined Washington and Lee as an Assistant Professor of Law in 2008. Professor Seymore's research focuses on how patent law should evolve in response to advances in science and how the intersection of law and science is critical to the formation of public policy. He has recent or forthcoming publications in the UCLA Law Review, Notre Dame Law Review, and the North Carolina Law Review.

Prior to joining W&L, Professor Seymore was a Visiting Assistant Professor at Northwestern University School of Law and, before that, an associate in the patent practice group at Foley Hoag LLP in Boston. Before attending law school he was a chemistry professor.

Professor Seymore graduated with a B.S. (Chemistry) from the University of Tennessee in 1993. While there he was a Tennessee Scholar (now the Chancellor's Honors Program). He then earned a M.S.Chem. (with thesis) from Georgia Institute of Technology in 1996. Professor Seymore moved on to the University of Notre Dame as an Arthur J. Schmitt Presidential Fellow, and earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry in 2001. His dissertation research (see a few novel compounds he synthesized) led to four peer-reviewed publications in Inorganic Chemistry, including a cover article. As a chemistry graduate student he won a Kaneb Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Award and the Emil T. Hofman Graduate Teaching Award in Recognition of Excellent Teaching by a Teaching Assistant in the First Year Program. As a chemistry professor, he taught Organic Chemistry, Advanced Inorganic Chemistry, Bioinorganic Chemistry, General Chemistry, and Chemical Communication. He supported his research with grants from the National Science Foundation and the ACS Petroleum Research Fund. After teaching chemistry for a few years, Professor Seymore returned to the University of Notre Dame for law school. While there he received full tuition support through the Allen Endowment Fellowship. He graduated with a J.D. in 2006.

Professor Seymore remains an active member of the American Chemical Society. He served on the Younger Chemists Committee from 2002-06 and on the Committee on Patents and Related Matters from 2006-07. He currently serves on the Executive Committee for the Division of Chemistry and the Law.

Professor Seymore is a member of the Massachusetts and District of Columbia bars and is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office.

Professional Experience

Admitted to practice in Massachusetts, District of Columbia; registered to practice before the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office; Ass't Professor of Chemistry, Rose-Hulman Inst. of Tech., 2001-02; Visiting Scientist, Indiana Univ.-Bloomington, 2001-02; Ass't Professor of Chemistry, Rowan Univ., 2002-03; Summer Associate, Woodcock Washburn LLP, Philadelphia, 2004; Summer Associate, Foley Hoag LLP, Boston, 2005; Associate, Foley Hoag LLP, Boston, 2006-07; Visiting Ass't Professor of Law, Northwestern Univ., 2007-08; Ass't Professor of Law, Washington and Lee Univ., 2008-.