PRACTICE GROUP ANALYSIS
LIFE CYCLE FIRMS
Practice Group Overview Morrison & Foerster
Peers marvel at the technology and corporate capabilities that Morrison & Foerster utilizes in its life sciences group. “Their Silicon Valley and San Francisco offices have some of the strongest and most technically skilled attorneys in the country,” believes one attorney. That marriage between the corporate and IP practices is attractive to clients looking to commercialize and protect their patent portfolios. 40-year veteran and industry icon Kate Murashige is one of the field’s most well-respected patent attorneys, especially in the biotechnology space. “She has done some of the most groundbreaking work with universities doing biotech research and it is amazing that she continues to advise her clients at such a high level,” remarks one colleague. One of the firm’s youngest partners has made quite the splash among her life sciences peers. Partner Mika Mayer has impressed competitors with her advanced understanding of the patent landscape in the medical device and drug delivery fields. Mayer’s prosecution and due diligence work for life sciences companies TranS1 and Hansen Medical, helped both companies shore up their patent portfolios and raise capital to further develop their respective technologies. Some of MoFo’s corporate attorneys focused on the industry have experience working with important industry organizations. Van Ellis, prior to joining Morrison & Foerster, was an Associate General Counsel at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, where he helped the institute on research collaborations, and spin-outs. Currently, Ellis does a lot of licensing work for Bayer, including several significant transactions for the company in the past few months. One of MoFo’s growing practice areas is their government investigation team, led by partners Adam Hof?nger and Robert Salerno. Hoffinger has defended numerous high-ranking executives a ?????????????????????????????????????e?????????????M?????????????????????????????5??????????????????????????-????????????????????????????????????????qQ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????t????????????????()1%?M
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