Andrew Custer is an associate at Foley & Lardner LLP and a member of the chemical, biotechnology and pharmaceutical practice group. He provides patent prosecution and counseling services, including patent application drafting, prior art searching, and opinions on patentability, freedom to operate and noninfringement. 

In his patent prosecution practice, Custer leverages more than nine years of research experience in neuroscience, molecular and cellular biology, as well as genetics and evolutionary biology. His graduate and post-doctoral research included the areas of electrical nerve conduction and multiple sclerosis, and evolutionary genetics and gene mutation rates with relevance to complex diseases such as cancer. His experience allows him to quickly analyze novel inventions across a broad spectrum of biological and chemical sciences.

Prior to joining Foley, Custer was a patent agent and technical consultant for RTI Biologics Inc., a biotechnology company that produces precision-machined sterile human bone implants for use in orthopedic surgery. While working at RTI Biologics, he provided intellectual property and regulatory analysis, and he was a liaison with testing and validation alliances.

Custer enjoys providing local pro bono work in several diverse areas of law.  He prepares and files U-visa applications for immigrant women and their families who have been victims of violence through the San Diego Volunteer Lawyer program. In addition, he assists the local chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union in analyzing legal issues surrounding a potential database for collecting statistics related to human rights violations of immigrants. He also reviews inmate applications to assist the Southern California Innocence Project in identifying promising wrongful incarceration cases. 

Custer earned his J.D. from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2009. He received a doctorate in neuroscience from the University of Rochester in 2003, and holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Tufts University. He is admitted to practice in California and at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
He is a member of the California Bar, the American Bar Association, the San Diego County Bar Association, the American Intellectual Property Law Association and the San Diego Intellectual Property Law Association.