FIRM ANALYSIS INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Firm Briefings
Morrison & Foerster “Every time I end up doing work with Morrison & Foerster, I am reminded of why we chose them to handle our IP matters from start to finish,” says one client about working with the patent team at MoFo. “They can of fer us any sort of IP service we need and treat us like we are the only client they are working with.” The firm’s patent counseling and prosecution practice is highly regarded by peers within the industry. “I don’t know of any other firm with as many talented attorneys devoted to that practice area,” comments one practitioner. MoFo is also one of the most experienced firms in the biotech space of the industry. Partner Kate Murashige, who colleagues view as “one of the most influential and well-respected patent attorneys in the country,” has been involved in biotech work since its creation and is still active in the industry, doing work on patents issued for the use of siRNA for gene silencing for client AntiCancer. Mika Mayer is one of MoFo’s youngest and most accomplished attorneys within the life sciences arena. She worked on behalf of one of the world’s largest biopharmaceutical companies, Gilead Sciences. Mayer’s due diligence of YM BioSciences, a Canadabased cancer therapeutics company, led to Gilead’s $510 million dollar acquisition of the company. “Mika’s prosecution and advice counseling is some of the best I have ever seen,” explains one competitor. Leading the IP litigation charge at MoFo is partner Rachel Krevans, who rivals commend for her “courtroom abilities and general industry knowledge.” She played a major role in one of the industries landmark cases, Abbott Diabetes Care vs. Roche Diagnostics Corp and Bayer Healthcare LLC. Krevans successfully represented Bayer, asserting infringement of two of Abbott’s patents on blood glucose meters and strips. Paul Hastings As one of the leading patent litigation firms in the country, Paul Hastings has represented some of the foremost companies within the industry. Amgen, GlaxoSmithKline, and Forest Laboratories all rely on the firm for its patent prowess. “Top of the line IP litigators,” states one competitor. “They have outstanding teams both for your commercial patent litigation, as well as dealing with infringement suits on the branded Hatch-Waxman front.” Paul Hastings sports an accomplished trio of lead counsel trial attorneys within the industry. Bruce Wexler co-founded the firm’s life sciences practice and is deemed by his peers as “an extremely talented attorney who is always in the conversation for best life sciences litigator of the year.” He was lead counsel for Boehringer Ingelheim in an appeal against Mylan Pharmaceuticals involving a patent for Mirapex, an important drug for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. Partners Gerald Flattmann and Joseph O’Malley round out the group’s all-star trio of patent litigators and have both represented some of the industry’s heavyweights. Flattmann, who colleagues see as “an impressive in-trial attorney and courtroom strategist,” represented Galderma in a Hatch-Waxman case concerning their drug Oracea, a drug that can help with inflammatory bumps and blemishes. O’Malley is commended by a contemporary for, “An impressive work ethic and one of the best minds in the industry,” and was co-lead trial counsel in Hatch-Waxman litigation representing Pfizer and Nycomed against Teva Pharmaceuticals in an action regarding Protonix, a $2 billion-dollar-per-year acid reflux medication. Perkins Coie Perkins Coie offers a full range of IP services to its clients, including Hatch-Waxman litigation for both branded and generic companies. Rivals commend the firm’s patent prosecution and generic HatchWaxman practices. “They work together very well and work with other law firms as well as anyone in the business,” believes one attorney. One of the firm’s biggest clients is Mylan Pharmaceuticals, which Perkins has represented on numerous occasions in ANDA litigation. “He is truly a star litigator for generics and has built an impressive team over there,” states one rival about partner Colin Sandercock. Along with partner Shannon Bloodworth, who is seen by a colleague as “a tactful courtroom attorney,” Sandercock has helped the firm gain notoriety with successful representations in the industry. He represented Innogenetics in an action for patent infringement against Third Wave Technologies on Innogenetics’ patent for a method of genotyping the Hepatitis C virus and helped the company gain a favorable settlement from their opponent. Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan continues to impress their peers with their in-court success for some of the industry’s most important companies. “They are never afraid to take any case to its full-length because of their abilities in the courtroom,” explains one practitioner. The firm is known for their general patent litigation, but has also done outstanding work for branded pharmaceutical companies like Genentech and Forest Laboratories in Hatch-Waxman proceedings. Co-chair of the firm’s global life sciences practice, Peter Armenio, is considered a “top 10 patent litigator in the United States,” by a number of his peers. “He has a ton of experience litigating on almost any topic within the industry,” adds another competitor. Armenio was lead trial counsel for Meda Pharmaceuticals in a Hatch-Waxman patent infringement suit brought to protect its Asterpro brand anti-allergy nasal spray and successfully obtained consent judgments with injunctions against several defendants. Charles Verhoeven is another accomplished trial attorney at Quinn Emanuel. One of his contemporaries commends Verhoeven for his “first tier work regarding medical devices within the industry.” He obtained a jury verdict of $5 million in compensatory damages also received a finding of willful infringement in a patent infringement trial for a plaintiff medical device company. “Confidence exudes from their trial attorneys in our experience with them,” raves one client. “We never felt that our product was in danger and that our infringement suits were in the hands of some of the best in the business.” Rakoczy Molino Mazzochi Siwik “They are the best generic Hatch-Waxman attorneys in the Midwest and shoul d be considered among the best in the country as
LMG LIFE SCIENCES 2013
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