Most Highly Regarded Firms: Life Sciences 2010

• February 2010

• Life Sciences

This second edition of The International Who’s Who of Life Sciences Lawyers recognises 461 practitioners specialising in product liability, regulatory, transactional and intellectual property work for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

Global

Our research found Bird & Bird LLP to be the world’s leading firm for life sciences law: a total of 17 lawyers from eight of the firm’s offices in Europe and Asia make the cut, with the London headquarters providing five partners for our list. Trevor Cook is the firm’s “leading light” according to peers who noted his “exceptional” intellectual property work. Cook is president of the UK group of the International Association for the Protection of Industrial Property (AIPPI) and secretary to the British Copyright Council standing committee on copyright and technology, and has been involved in such cases as Teva Pharmaceuticals v Merrell Pharmaceuticals & Others and Yeda Research and Development v Rhone-Poulenc Rorer International Holdings & Another in recent years. Gerald Kamstra leads the firm’s international life sciences group and specialises in contentious IP, commercial and regulatory matters for small and mid-sized companies as well as major multinationals. Sally Shorthose is “first class” in transactional IP matters for leading research and technology companies, having previously held in-house posts with ICI/Zeneca and Novartis UK. The “outstanding” Morag Macdonald is joint head of the firm’s IP group and has coordinated numerous cross-border patent matters in Europe. Neil Jenkins is recommended for his IP disputes work, which has seen him argue cases before the UK courts and the European Court of Justice (ECJ).

As chairman of Bird & Bird’s offices in Germany and founder of the German IP group, Wolfgang von Meibom is the “most prominent” of the three lawyers we feature from the firm’s Düsseldorf office. Ina vom Feld and Felix Rödiger were both praised for their work in international patent litigation matters for key clients. Brussels-based Bruno Vandermeulen was described as a “leading name” for his IP disputes and due diligence work while head of life sciences in France Alain Gorny is a “great name” in litigation and advisory work for medicine and medical devices companies.

In Italy, Giovanni Galimberti manages the Milan IP department alongside Massimiliano Mostardini. Galimberti has handled several pan-European patent cases on behalf major European and US Fortune 100 companies. Mostardini is the founding partner of the Milan office and is well regarded for IP advice and litigation work as well as his competition expertise. IP, competition and arbitration “expert” Giovanni Gozzo and licensing and corporate specialist Ragnar Lundgren came to the Stockholm office of Bird & Bird from Gozzo’s own IP firm in 2008 and their hire is considered a “real coup for the firm”.

Matthew Laight is the managing partner of Bird & Bird’s China offices and is well thought of for his commercial and contentious life sciences work. Hong Kong-based Alison Wong specialises in cross-border IP litigation throughout Asia, as well as non-contentious work including the protection and exploitation of IP rights. Grace Chen divides her time between the Beijing and Shanghai offices and advises major multinationals, as well as start-ups, in technology transfer, licensing and IP protection matters.

Covington & Burling LLP performs well, with 12 lawyers appearing from offices in the US and Europe. The “formidably talented” Richard Kingham is assigned to the London and Washington, DC, offices and concentrates on food and drug and European Union law with a particular focus on product liability and product safety. Peter Safir co-chairs the firm’s food and drug group out of the DC office and has represented Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson in recent matters. Ellen Flannery is his co-chair and regularly advises clients in dispute resolution matters with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), companies responding to FDA quality system inspections, and regulatory due diligence. John Hurvitz boasts an impressive list of clients including Abbot, GPC Biotech, Shering-Plough and Quest Diagnostics. He has handled engagements in Europe, Asia and the US. Ethan Posner co-chairs Covington’s pharmaceutical litigation and investigations group and has acted as lead counsel to Pfizer, Gilead Sciences, InterMune, Johnson & Johnson and Ortho Biotech in recent disputes. Senior counsel Peter Barton Hutt has been with the firm since 1960, taking four years out to act as chief counsel to the FDA, and is “a legendary figure” of the DC bar. In San Francisco, James Snipes comes “highly recommended” having represented Pfizer, Procter & Gamble and the Institute for OneWorld Health in recent negotiations and deals.

Peter Bogaert is the managing partner of Covington’s Brussels office and he represents clients including innovative start-up companies and industry associations before the European and Belgian courts. Geneviève Michaux was described as a “star in EU regulatory matters” with expertise in clinical trials, labelling and promotions and data privacy issues. David Hull heads the firm’s EU competition practice and has advised the likes of Eli Lily, AstraZeneca and GPC Biotech in matters relating to licensing, development and distribution. James Beery acts as senior of counsel in the firm’s London office and is experienced in corporate governance and internal investigations, having previously served as senior vice president and general counsel of GlaxoSmithKline. Anne Ware also received praise for her product liability, commercial litigation and contractual advice for pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

Howrey LLP has 12 lawyers in our listings. Joachim Feldges is managing partner of the firm’s Munich office and a “prominent figure” in the IP practice, with extensive experience of handling disputes for major pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients. Another “big hitter”, according to peers, is London managing partner Mark Hodgson, who specialises in IP, regulatory and product liability matters and counts Eli Lily among his recent clients. Marjan Noor has represented clients before the UK courts and the European Patent Office (EPO) in multi-jurisdiction disputes. Noor is also recommended for her regulatory work, which has seen her represent clients in judicial review proceedings in the UK and at the ECJ. Richard Willoughby and Paul Inman are also partners in the London office and both are hailed as “first class” by respondents.

Amsterdam-based Willem Hoyng is the managing partner of Howrey in Europe and specialises in advising clients on European patent strategy and IP litigation before the Dutch Supreme Court, the EPO and the ECJ. Bart van den Broek is managing partner for the Amsterdam office and has represented a number of Dutch and foreign multinationals in IP disputes before national courts. Maarten Meulenbelt at the Brussels office was described as an “excellent practitioner” in regulatory and competition matters, having appeared before national and European regulatory authorities on behalf of numerous big names in the pharmaceutical industry. Carl De Meyer and European head of IP Benoît Strowel also rank highly in the Belgian capital. Paris managing partner Marina Cousté specialises in domestic and cross-border IP dispute resolution for biotechnology and pharmaceutical clients. “Fantastic” IP litigator Henry Bunsow is managing partner for Howrey’s Northern California offices ; he counts Generation II Orthotics among his clients.

Europe

Hailed variously as “the king of life sciences” and “the best in England without question”, Ian Dodds-Smith of Arnold & Porter LLP emerges as one of the most respected practitioners at the life sciences bar. Dodds-Smith leads A&P’s European product liability group and is co-head of the food, drug and medical devices practice. His impressive client list includes Pharmacia, St Jude Medical, Sanofi-Pasteur and Monsanto. Regulatory expert Lincoln Tsang also earns praise at the firm’s London office. Rowan Freeland is the “leading name” at Simmons & Simmons in London, having acted for Conor Medsystems and CoreValve in recent matters. Richard Binns, Mark Curtis and Kevin Mooney are also recommended in the UK capital, while across the Channel in Paris Jacques-Antoine Robert is “excellent” for product liability and disputes work. Pierre Véron of Véron & Associés is considered “first class” for patent litigation and a “leading light” of the Paris bar. At the same firm Isabelle Romet and Sabine Agé are also noted for their IP disputes work.

Bert Oosting heads the pharmaceuticals and IP and information technology groups in the Amsterdam office of Lovells LLP and is one of the firm’s “top” names. In Düsseldorf, Andreas von Falck specialises in IP litigation and counselling for clients in the pharmaceutical, medical devices and hi-tech sectors and counts Eli Lily among his major clients. German product liability practice leader and global head of Lovells’ life sciences team Ina Brock, in the Munich office, is a prominent name with substantial experience of multiparty litigation in Europe, Asia, Africa and The Middle East. Ewa Rutkowska heads the life sciences and product liability practice of Lovells’ Warsaw office and advises numerous international clients doing work in Poland. Competition and pharmaceuticals expert Bozena Ciosek, of Eversheds LLP, and pharmaceutical litigation specialist Wojciech Kozlowski, of Salans, are also well regarded in Warsaw.

North America

Sidley Austin LLP is the leading firm in the US with eight partners listed in four offices. Product liability expert Sara J Gourley is a “top name” at the firm’s Chicago headquarters, with experience in complex, multi-jurisdictional coordination and defence of class action. Also prominent in Chicago are products liability and mass torts practice head Michael W Davis and national IP practice chair David T Pritikin. Global life sciences team leader Scott Bass is based in Washington, DC, and is recognised for his “outstanding” expertise in FDA-related enforcement and regulatory work and “highly impressive” international experience, having coordinated matters throughout the US, Europe and Asia. The firm’s national healthcare group head Paul E Kalb and Jeffrey P Kushan, practice group chair for the patent group in the firm's DC office, are also well thought of in the capital. The “incredible” Thomas H Beck is head of the New York IP office and focuses his practice on complex chemical and pharmaceutical litigation while on the West Coast the “terrific” Debra E Pole has represented pharmaceutical and medical device companies and acts as head of the products liability and mass torts group in the Los Angeles office.

The “excellent” Kate Murashige is a senior partner in the San Diego office of Morrison & Foerster LLP and counts NuVant Systems, Kosan Biosciences and Scios among her clients. Former IP practice co-head Gladys Monroy is another “big name” at the firm and earned praise for her work with patents and technology transfer agreements. Morgan Chu is based in Irell & Manella LLP’s Los Angeles office and is recognised for his “outstanding” work in contentious IP matters such as City of Hope v Genentech: the largest damages award ever affirmed on appeal in California. Michael Brown leads the multidisciplinary life sciences health industry group at Reed Smith LLP, where he has cultivated an “incredible” reputation in product liability, competition and false-advertising class-action work before the state and federal courts.

On the east coast, Kaye Scholer LLP emerges as one of the most well regarded firms with six lawyers from the New York office ranking highly in our research. Steven Glickstein co-chairs the firm’s product liability practice group and has acted for a broad range of life sciences clients, including suppliers of heart valves, pharmaceuticals and blood products. Leora Ben-Ami focuses on IP and patent litigation for medical device, biotechnology and chemical companies and counts Pfizer among her major clients. At Fitzpatrick Cella Harper & Scinto, Robert Baechtold was described as “top of the line” for his patent litigation work, which has seen him represent Bristol-Myers Squibb, AstraZeneca and Sanofi-Aventis in major matters.

Cheryl Reicin of Torys LLP divides her time between New York and Toronto and focuses on financing, licensing, IPOs and mergers and acquisitions for biotechnology, medical devices and health information clients. Andrew Shaughnessy is a partner in the Torys’ litigation and dispute resolution practice and has represented Pfizer and Procter & Gamble in recent matters. “Esteemed” IP rights litigator Gunars Gaikis is based in the Toronto office of Smart & Biggar/Fetherstonhaugh and boasts a lengthy portfolio of pharmaceutical clients. Jane Steinberg and leading IP litigation partner Anthony Creber both rank highly in the Ottawa office of Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP.

At Basham Ringe y Correa SC in Mexico City, president of the Interamerican Association of Intellectual Property Martín Michaus comes “very highly recommended” for his IP, franchise, licensing and dispute resolution work.

Asia

Shusaku Yamamoto is hailed as one of Japan’s leading IP firms by our sources, and the “excellent” John Tessensohn is recognised for his patent procurement, defence enforcement and licensing work on behalf of biotech, biopharma, health-care and medical devices clients. Eiji Katayama of Abe Ikubo & Katayama focuses on patent litigation in the chemistry and biotechnology sectors and is also well thought of for his copyright, trademark and competition work.

In China, patent protection specialist Chen Wenping of King & Wood ranks among the top names in the sector having represented numerous clients in the fields of pharmaceutical chemistry, biotechnology, organic chemistry, enzyme and protein, and genetic engineering. The “very well-known” Pravin Anand of Anand & Anand in Noida is a “top name” in India; numerous sources praised his IP work.

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