Fred C. Hernandez
Member / Chair, Intellectual Property Prosecution and Counseling Practice
+1.858.314.1518
Fred focuses on patent prosecution and strategic counseling for clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to early-stage and emerging growth companies, primarily in the medical device and medical technology fields. He also represents clients in the aerospace and consumer products sectors, and in snow and water sports. Fred has repeatedly been recognized on Managing Intellectual Property’s list of IP Stars and is among IAM's Patent 1000. Fred is Chair of the IP Division's Intellectual Property Prosecution and Strategic Counseling practice and is co-chair of MIATTY, the firm’s minority attorney affinity group.
He specializes in intellectual property protection in the medical device, aerospace, consumer products, and mechanical sectors, including building comprehensive portfolios, developing offensive and defensive competitive strategies, conducting infringement studies, and providing guidance and due diligence for financings and other strategic transactions.
His medical device technical experience involves a variety of ophthalmic, cardiovascular, and endobronchial, interventions as well as various drug delivery and surgical devices.
According to the editors of IAM Magazine in its Patent 1000 publication, Fred Hernandez is “a touchstone lawyer for medical device and medical technology entities. The regularity with which industry leaders snap up the emerging companies whose portfolios he has developed is a telling measure of his quality.”
Before joining the firm, Fred was a principal at an international IP boutique firm. He also worked for the Hughes Aircraft Company, where he gained significant technical experience as a software engineer.
Fred focuses on patent prosecution and strategic counseling for clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to early-stage and emerging growth companies, primarily in the medical device and medical technology fields. He also represents clients in the aerospace and consumer products sectors, and in snow and water sports. Fred has repeatedly been recognized on Managing Intellectual Property’s list of IP Stars and is among IAM's Patent 1000. Fred is Chair of the IP Division's Intellectual Property Prosecution and Strategic Counseling practice and is co-chair of MIATTY, the firm’s minority attorney affinity group.
Experience
- We are trusted by a high-profile San Diego-based vision-focused medical device incubator with helping to assess and develop the patent strategies of its portfolio companies, and have been key legal counsel in recent successes of its portfolio companies. In 2016 and 2017, two of the incubator's companies were acquired by global corporations.
viewpoints
Entrepreneurs of Color Receive Strategic Guidance
February 22, 2022 | Article
Key Lessons from Patent Litigation for Drafting and Prosecuting Utility Patent Applications
April 15, 2016 | Blog | By Fred Hernandez, Gurneet Singh
News & Press
Mintz Attorneys Named 2024 “Leaders of Influence in Life Sciences” by San Diego Business Journal
August 22, 2024
Mintz announced that Members Fred Hernandez and Ken Jenkins were named 2024 “Leaders of Influence in Life Sciences” by San Diego Business Journal (SDBJ) which recognizes individuals who are making significant contributions to the advancement of science, healthcare, and innovation in San Diego.
The Best Lawyers in America 2025 Recognizes 184 Mintz Attorneys across 56 Practice Areas
August 15, 2024
187 Mintz attorneys have been recognized by Best Lawyers® in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America©. Notably, three Mintz attorneys received 2025 “Lawyer of the Year” awards, and 64 firm attorneys were included in the 2025 edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch.
Mintz is pleased to share that 15 attorneys have been recognized by Managing Intellectual Property in the 2024 edition of ‘IP Stars.’ The annual guide evaluates law firms and legal practitioners through in-depth research conducted by Managing IP, encompassing both contentious and non-contentious aspects of the intellectual property market across various states in the nation. The firm was recognized in the nationwide ITC Litigation and Life Sciences IP categories.
Mintz IP Practice Recognized in 2024 IAM Patent 1000
June 18, 2024
Our Intellectual Property Practice earned national recognition in the 2024 edition of IAM Patent 1000 – The World’s Leading Patent Practitioners. The guide recognized Mintz with four firm-wide rankings and 14 individual attorney recommendations, including a gold ranking for Intellectual Property Chair Michael Renaud.
Mintz is pleased to announce that 120 firm attorneys have been recognized as leaders by Best Lawyers® in the 2024 edition of The Best Lawyers in America©.
BOSTON, MA – In the 2023 edition of 'IP Stars,' published by Managing Intellectual Property (Managing IP), Mintz achieved recognition in two nationwide categories and received acknowledgment for the exceptional performance of nine of its attorneys.
BOSTON– Mintz’s award-winning Intellectual Property (IP) Practice again earned national recognition in the 2023 edition of IAM Patent 1000 – The World’s Leading Patent Practitioners. The guide recognized Mintz with three firm-wide rankings and 10 attorneys received a total of 11 individual recommendations.
Mintz is pleased to share that two attorneys and the firm’s Patent practice have been shortlisted in the 2022 edition of Managing Intellectual Property’s (MIP) Americas Awards. The awards recognize the “remarkable achievements and developments” of firms, individuals and companies impacting the IP sector over the past year.
Key Lessons from Patent Litigation for Drafting and Prosecuting Utility Patent Applications
June 15, 2016
Fred focuses on patent prosecution and strategic counseling for clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to early-stage and emerging growth companies, primarily in the medical device and medical technology fields. He also represents clients in the aerospace and consumer products sectors, and in snow and water sports. Fred has repeatedly been recognized on Managing Intellectual Property’s list of IP Stars and is among IAM's Patent 1000. Fred is Chair of the IP Division's Intellectual Property Prosecution and Strategic Counseling practice and is co-chair of MIATTY, the firm’s minority attorney affinity group.
Recognition & Awards
Managing Intellectual Property: Patent star - California (2014 – 2024)
IAM Patent 1000 “World’s Leading Patent Practitioners” (2020 – 2024)
San Diego Daily Transcript Top 50 Influential Leaders (2019)
LMG Life Sciences top practitioner in Patent Prosecution and Patent Strategy & Management (2017 – 2021)
Best Lawyers in America: Patent Law (2024 - 2025)
San Diego Business Journal Leader of Influence in Life Sciences (2024)
Fred focuses on patent prosecution and strategic counseling for clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to early-stage and emerging growth companies, primarily in the medical device and medical technology fields. He also represents clients in the aerospace and consumer products sectors, and in snow and water sports. Fred has repeatedly been recognized on Managing Intellectual Property’s list of IP Stars and is among IAM's Patent 1000. Fred is Chair of the IP Division's Intellectual Property Prosecution and Strategic Counseling practice and is co-chair of MIATTY, the firm’s minority attorney affinity group.
Involvement
- Member, Board of Directors of the Southern Caregivers Resource Center
- Member, San Diego County Bar Association
- Member, San Diego La Raza Lawyers
- Member, South Asian Bar Association of San Diego
Recent Insights
Mintz announced that Members Fred Hernandez and Ken Jenkins were named 2024 “Leaders of Influence in Life Sciences” by San Diego Business Journal (SDBJ) which recognizes individuals who are making significant contributions to the advancement of science, healthcare, and innovation in San Diego.
187 Mintz attorneys have been recognized by Best Lawyers® in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America©. Notably, three Mintz attorneys received 2025 “Lawyer of the Year” awards, and 64 firm attorneys were included in the 2025 edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch.
Mintz is pleased to share that 15 attorneys have been recognized by Managing Intellectual Property in the 2024 edition of ‘IP Stars.’ The annual guide evaluates law firms and legal practitioners through in-depth research conducted by Managing IP, encompassing both contentious and non-contentious aspects of the intellectual property market across various states in the nation. The firm was recognized in the nationwide ITC Litigation and Life Sciences IP categories.
