Dechert

Dechert is a full-service firm that is especially notable for its work related to corporate transactions, licensing agreements and collaboration deals. A client commends the firm for its "great knowledge of licensing and asset sale transactions," adding the firm has an "excellent team" that is "always available and responsive." The firm regularly represents clients in cross-border transactions, calling on its global footprint to serve clients based around the world.

David Rosenthal serves as co-leader of the life sciences practice and co-chair of the global corporate finance and capital markets practice. He represents clients in M&A and general corporate transactions. Rosenthal had a dynamic year of client work, including representation of two firms as joint-book running managers in a share offer, Aviragen Therapeutics in its merger with Vaxart, and NOAVDAQ in a significant and strategic sale to Stryker.

Also among the firm's leading attorneys is David Schulman, whose practice touches all facets of the financial and corporate space. His practice is global in scope, exhibited by a licensing deal he recently led that spanned the US, China and France. In another recent transaction, Schulman led a team representing Ferring Pharmaceuticals in a strategically important acquisition of late-stage clinical microbiome company Rebiotix.

Dechert offers more than 100 life sciences attorneys spread throughout the firm's broad, global network. In the patent space, the firm is most notable for its practice in Hatch-Waxman litigations, particularly for branded drug makers.

"Marty Black and his team have been very effective," a peer says of the firm's IP litigation head. "He's a very good trial lawyer." Black recently achieved affirmance of a district court decision from the Federal Circuit that validated client Endo's patents covering pain reliever Opana ER. Robert Rhoad is another standout partner with significant experience handling Hatch-Waxman disputes. He has acted for notable life sciences companies, including Endo, Pfizer, Boston Scientific, and others. Silicon Valley partner Jonathan Loeb holds a PhD in biology, and is focused on patent counseling and litigation for his clients.

New to the stars list is Andrea Reid in Boston, who serves as co-chair of the firm's life sciences practice group. Her practice is focused on patent counseling and deal-oriented strategy for pharmaceutical and biotech companies. Reid recently acted as lead for Bicycle Therapeutics in a collaboration with Bioverativ.

Already a substantial name in the life sciences arena, Philadelphia-spawned but globally entrenched Dechert upped its game in 2018, when a group of star players in the product liability capacity, including practice leader Sheila Birnbaum, celebrated for decades as "The Queen of Torts," and her colleague Mark Cheffo, decamped from Quinn Emanuel and joined this firm's New York office. "This is big news," observes a peer. "Watch this space for how it plays out for both sides."

Chicago's Nathan Hoffman represents AbbVie Biotherapeutics in national product liability litigation related to AbbVie's product AndroGel, a testosterone replacement therapy. AbbVie is a defendant in approximately 4,300 cases in an MDL in the Northern District of Illinois, and is a defendant in an additional 200 cases in state courts in California, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Mississippi, and New York. The Dechert team developed and defended the company witnesses through both deposition and trial. The team responded to all written and documentary discovery aimed at the company, and conducted discovery of plaintiffs in the "bellwether" cases selected for trial in the MDL, Illinois, and Missouri. Dechert lawyers also worked cooperatively with firm Paul Weiss to develop expert witnesses and direct the legal strategy and prepare briefing as the litigation developed.