Life Sciences

Our Life Sciences litigation experience spans four continents and ranges broadly from successful jury trials in state and federal courts throughout the U.S. to negotiating commercial resolutions in Asia, South America and Europe. We have served as counsel for companies that include Bayer, Fresenius, Merck, Pfizer, 3M/McGhan and INC Research, and handled matters ranging from pharmaceutical litigation, product liability, toxic tort, antitrust, and intellectual property to general commercial litigation, appellate work, medical malpractice, fraud and abuse, whistleblower matters, and government enforcement and investigations.

In mass tort pharmaceutical litigation, our experience is unmatched. Our attorneys have:

• Served as co-national trial and coordinating counsel, national discovery counsel, regional counsel, trial counsel, and specialty counsel.
• Headed multi-firm teams dedicated to international and domestic regulatory issues.
• Served on teams devoted to drug safety and sales and marketing issues.
• Prepared and defended senior European officers in depositions in London, Brussels and Amsterdam.
• Played leading roles in the Xarelto, Vioxx, Baycol, Yasmin/Yaz, Rezulin, Reglan, Thimerosal, Trasylol, Aspirin/Reye Syndrome and Granuflo litigations.

As a founding member of the Pfizer Legal Alliance, we have been at the center of its transformative effects on the roles of and relationships between fellow outside and inside counsel.

Protecting and leveraging valuable intellectual property is essential to our clients’ ability to develop and maintain their market shares. We assist clients in managing all aspects of their IP portfolios, including patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets. Our IP attorneys regularly file domestic and international patent and trademark applications, and handle prosecution and post-issuance maintenance for many clients, including publicly traded companies with large portfolios. We have represented clients on intellectual property matters in more than 120 countries.

A number of our patent attorneys studied the biological sciences at the graduate and undergraduate level, including genetics, biochemistry, cell and molecular biology, neuroscience, regulation of cell growth, oncogenesis, regulations of signal transduction pathways, pharmacology, microbiology, natural products biochemistry, and general and organic chemistry. Five of our patent attorneys hold master’s degrees and PhDs in the life sciences.

Our Life Sciences industry team also counsels clients regarding the strategic use and acquisition of intellectual property, and they assist with licensing, development, joint venture and technology transfer agreements, as well as confidentiality agreements, university-industry relations, and sponsored research projects. In addition, we help clients enforce their IP rights, providing litigation counsel along with a full range of arbitration and mediation services.

To assist companies with a range of general business needs, attorneys on our Life Sciences industry team:

• Advise on business strategy and plans, as well as selecting and forming the appropriate business entity, including founders’ agreements.
• Prepare the various required documents necessary for initial and subsequent rounds of financing.
• Structure stock option and other employee incentive plans and prepare employment, consulting, confidentiality, R&D, HIPAA and proprietary information agreements.
• Counsel regarding regulatory compliance, governmental affairs, and issues related to securities tax (local, state and federal).
• Work with other professionals (bankers, CPAs, insurance experts and others) who are engaged with our clients.
• Assist with locating, permitting, developing and financing new or expanding facilities.
• Structure exit strategies, including asset sales, stock sales, ESOPS, mergers and IPOs.

Thanks to our broad experience with the unique financing needs of life sciences companies, our team regularly counsels clients regarding the many options available to them – from angel, venture capital, and mezzanine financing to public and private offerings of equity, debt and equity-linked securities. We also leverage our strong relationships in the investment banking and venture capital communities to benefit our clients.