Latham & Watkins

Latham & Watkins is a globally recognized, full-service firm with a robust life sciences group. The firm provides the full gamut of financial and corporate services for life sciences companies, and is noted for having an "excellent market share" of the biotech space, according to one peer. Clients of the firm range from startups to mature public companies.

Judith Hasko is vice chair of Latham's life sciences and healthcare group, and is widely recognized for her work in the licensing and collaboration space. In the past year, Hasko represented Daiichi Sankyo in a $6.9 billion collaboration agreement with AstraZeneca to develop a groundbreaking drug to treat breast cancer. In addition, she also advised Revolution Medicines in partnership agreement with Sanofi to develop targeted therapies.

Endorsed by peers as a "top attorney" and a "big name in the Bay Area", life sciences group co-chair Alan Mendelson is recognized for his decades of experience assisting clients in a variety of corporate and financial matters including public offerings, transactions, collaborations, as well as venture capital financing. Recently, Mendelson represented Intuitive Surgical in its acquisition of Unison Surgicals Company, and PellePharm in its $760 million collaboration agreement with LEO Pharma.

Charles Ruck focuses on life sciences transactions, serving clients from both the firm's Orange County and New York offices. Ruck, who one peer notes "tends to get a lot of deals through," recently represented the financial advisor to K2M in its acquisition by Stryker in a deal worth $1.4 billion.

Latham & Watkins's IP group is highly recommended in general patent litigation, offering a strong bench of life sciences-oriented litigators versed across technology areas, including biologics. The firm is also recommended for its Hatch-Waxman practice focused on generic drug makers.

IP litigation co-chair Michael Morin receives acclaim from numerous peers in the space, supported by his continued work in high-profile matters related to biologics. He and partner David Frazier recently acted for client AbbVie in lawsuits related to various products in its portfolio, including the company's top-selling drug Humira. Morin was shortlisted in 2019 for the DC General Patent Litigator of the Year award by LMG Life Sciences.

Respected litigator Maximilian Grant continues to represent InfoBionic in two cases brought by competitor CardioNet. In parallel IPRs, the team was successful in invalidating two of the patents asserted by CardioNet. David Callahan was recently involved in a 13-year dispute representing Zimmer Biomet, which eliminated a multibillion-dollar damages claim and awarded the client $14 million in attorneys' fees.

Kenneth Schuler and Daniel Brown are two of the firm's experienced litigators in Hatch-Waxman matters. Brown recently represented Par Pharmaceutical against Novartis challenging patents covering the opponent's cancer drug. The Federal Circuit ultimately reversed a lower court decision in favor of Par, invalidating a Novartis patent.

Latham & Watkins is an international firm with a strong roster of litigators and counselors focused on the life sciences industry. The firm is deeply qualified in the financial space, evidenced by its top ranking in every practice area involving transactional and corporate work. "Latham is one of the few firms that we see across the entire life cycle of the life sciences practice," a corporate attorney at a competing firm says. The firm is also a major IP player in biosimilars disputes and litigations under the Hatch-Waxman Act. For its wide-ranging activity in the industry, the firm was awarded 2019 Life Cycle Firm of the Year by LMG Life Sciences.

The firm's financial and corporate group is well known for having an "excellent market share" of life sciences work, says a peer. Industry group vice chair Judith Hasko is a luminary in the licensing and collaboration space, who was recently recognized through her induction into the LMG Life Sciences Hall of Fame. She recently represented Daiichi Sankyo in a $6.9 billion collaboration agreement with AstraZeneca. Alan Mendelson is experienced in a variety of corporate matters, including public offerings, transactions, collaborations and venture capital financing. Transactions star Charles Ruck acted as financial advisor to K2M in its acquisition by Stryker in a deal worth $1.4 billion.

In the patent group, IP litigation co-chair Michael Morin and partner David Frazier acted for client AbbVie in lawsuits related to various products in its portfolio, including the company's top-selling drug Humira. Morin was shortlisted in 2019 for the DC General Patent Litigator of the Year award by LMG Life Sciences. Respected litigator Maximilian Grant continues to represent InfoBionic in two cases brought by competitor CardioNet. David Callahan was recently involved in a 13-year dispute representing for Zimmer Biomet, which eliminated a multibillion-dollar damages claim and awarded the client $14 million in attorneys' fees. Callahan was shortlisted for the Midwest General Patent Litigator of the Year award.

For non-IP litigation, the firm had some newsworthy activity in a securities-life sciences crossover matter that garnered considerable attention. LMG Life Sciences newcomers Andrew Clubok and Michele Johnson were involved in a noteworthy matter that was recognized as an Impact Case of the Year in 2019. The case, Hsu v Puma Biotechnology, is a securities class action that alleged client Puma released misleading statements to investors related to its breast cancer drug Nerlynx. In a rare jury trial, the verdict found three of the four contested statements were not misleading, and the liability amounted to less than 5% of the damages sought. Daniel Wall is a leader in the antitrust group and a "stellar presence" according to a peer. He is currently active for Genentech in a district court matter involving anticompetitive claims. Healthcare and life sciences group co-chair Daniel Meron is a specialist in regulatory enforcement and investigations.

Latham's regulatory team includes standout attorneys Benneville Haas, Stuart Kurlander and John Manthei. Manthei serves as global co-chair of the firm's healthcare and life sciences practice group, and is focused on representing clients in all areas of a product's regulatory life cycle. He recently represented Alvogen in a matter against the State of Nevada preventing use of the client's drug for lethal injection. Kurlander is one of the firm's experts in pricing and reimbursement matters. Haas represents companies in various regulatory matters, with a particular focus on clinical trial advice.

Latham & Watkins is growing a substantial footprint in the litigation space, earning top marks for its practice focused on antitrust litigation and recommended status in the government investigations space. The firm also had some newsworthy activity in a securities-life sciences crossover matter that garnered awards attention.

Out of the San Francisco office is Daniel Wall, who is a leader in the antitrust group and a "stellar presence" according to a peer. He is currently active for Genentech in a pending matter in the Southern District of New York involving anticompetitive claims made by a Russian biotech company. The case was recently dismissed with prejudice in favor of the client, and is now on appeal.

LMG Life Sciences newcomers Andrew Clubok and Michele Johnson were involved in a noteworthy matter that was recognized as an Impact Case of the Year in 2019. The case, Hsu v Puma Biotechnology, is a securities class action that alleged client Puma released misleading statements to investors related to its breast cancer drug Nerlynx. In a rare jury trial, the verdict found three of the four contested statements were not misleading, and the liability amounted to less than 5% of the damages sought.

Healthcare and life sciences group co-chair Daniel Meron is a specialist in regulatory enforcement and investigations. He was recently active in an FDA proceeding for a pharmaceutical client.