Carey Prill is a Partner at McAndrews and practices in all areas of intellectual property law with a particular emphasis on patent litigation and IP due diligence. By having an in-depth understanding of her clients’ needs, Carey helps them to continue to expand their intellectual property portfolios through mergers and acquisitions. She also helps her clients enforce and defend their intellectual property rights in litigation.

Carey has considerable experience with a wide range of technologies, including medical devices and methods, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology.  Prior to joining the firm in 2015, Carey was a litigation associate at Tressler LLP’s Los Angeles and Chicago offices.  As a registered patent attorney, her professional experience also includes examining pharmaceutical and biotechnology patents for the United States Patent and Trademark Office.  Carey has been selected as an Illinois Super Lawyers Rising Star Attorney in Intellectual Property Law from 2013 through 2023.

As a practitioner, Carey is known by her clients for both her passion for science and technology and her client focus – the client and its goals are the basis for everything she does. Additionally, she is personable, organized and exceptionally detail-oriented, characteristics clients also appreciate.

Carey graduated from Pepperdine University School of Law, where she was the Editor-in-Chief of the Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal. She was awarded the CALI Excellence for the Future Award for earning the highest grade in her Negotiation Theory and Practice course.  While attending law school, Carey completed a judicial externship with the Honorable Thomas B. Donovan of the United States District Court for the Central District of California.  She also served as a legal intern with the United States Department of Justice Office of the United States Trustee.  In addition to earning her law degree, Carey trained with scholars from Pepperdine’s Straus Institute, the top dispute resolution program in the country, to earn her Certificate in Alternative Dispute Resolution.  As part of the program, Carey gained valuable mediation experience while serving as a mediator in Los Angeles Superior Court.

Carey completed her Master of Science in Biotechnology from Johns Hopkins University with the highest distinction. She also earned her B.A. in Biology from Saginaw Valley State University, where she graduated with honors.  Her undergraduate Honors thesis research involved studying the developmental effects of chemicals on the learning ability and reproductive behavior of rats.  She also partnered with the Department of Chemistry to conduct research on chemical and material interactions in Formula SAE racecars as part of her role on the Cardinal Formula Racing Team.  During her undergraduate studies, she worked for Dow Corning as part of its Specialty Chemicals research team in developing and improving paper and leather coatings.  She also spent time working for Mercedes-Benz Research and Development in its emissions testing compliance program.

Carey is the first person in her family to attend college, and she is a proponent of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Carey is also a fitness enthusiast. She is a National Academy of Sports Medicine Certified Personal Trainer, an Athletics and Fitness Association of America Certified Group Fitness Instructor, a Box ‘N Burn Academy Certified Boxing Trainer, a Pregnancy and Postpartum Athleticism Certified Coach, and an avid long-distance runner and fan of endurance sports.