"It's no secret that the life sciences sector has fueled demand for Big Law firms even as the legal sector grappled with the initial shock of the pandemic. This work is particularly core to Cooley, where the life sciences sector touches a third of the firm's $1.5 billion in annual revenue, with 95% of its attorneys serving life sciences clients."
"If you took the life sciences group out of the firm, it would be its own Am Law 100 firm," Christian Plaza, vice chairman of the firm's global life sciences group, said.
Many law firms expect continued growth in the sector in 2021, leading firms to poach talent and expand cross-disciplinary teams to tackle the full needs of life sciences and health care companies.
One recent sign of the trend: Cooley said on Thursday it nabbed Latham & Watkins partner Alan Tamarelli to join the firm's life sciences corporate partnering and licensing practice in New York.
Tamarelli spent three years as a corporate partner at Latham and previously served as counsel and director on Merck & Co.'s life sciences transactions team. He brings expertise in technology-driven transactions for a variety of life sciences companies and has advised on licensing, collaboration and commercial transactions, the firm said.
Cooley is "the market leader" in the life sciences partnering and transactions space, and has a platform that meets life sciences companies' needs across their entire life cycle, Tamarelli said.
The firm not only has "the broadest team with the deepest experience," but also has strategic plans in place to "preserve its status" as a leader with an emphasis on building its team on the East Coast, he said.
Reprinted with permission from the September 9, 2021 edition of THE RECORDER © 2021
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