Tena Herlihy joined MIT as Counsel in 2006. Her primary practice areas are technology licensing, trademark prosecution and enforcement, open source software licensing, patent litigation management, and copyright. She is responsible for helping MIT license and protect its intellectual property, including the MIT name. She counsels the Institute on technology-related legal issues. She also advises faculty, administration and staff all across the Institute regarding intellectual property related concerns.

Prior to coming to MIT, Ms. Herlihy was Assistant General Counsel at PAREXEL International Corporation, an international contract research organization headquartered in Waltham, MA. There, she negotiated agreements with major pharmaceutical companies for Phase I-IV clinical trials. She also managed the company’s trademark portfolio, handled employment issues, and advised outside counsel on intellectual property litigation. Ms. Herlihy has also worked as a lawyer for Boston law firms Goulston & Storrs PC, Holland & Knight LLP, and Bromberg & Sunstein LLP. As a private practice attorney, she practiced corporate law, intellectual property law, and handled real estate transactions.

Ms. Herlihy is a 1986 graduate of Vanderbilt University and a 1996 magna cum laude graduate of Boston College Law School. She is licensed to practice law in Massachusetts and Florida.