Latham & Watkins Partners Named Among “Biotech Top 25” in California
Two Latham & Watkins partners in California, Alan C. Mendelson and John E. Wehrli, have been selected as top attorneys advising biotechnology companies in the state by the Daily Journal in its inaugural “Biotech Top 25” list. The legal newspaper cited the honored attorneys for “the work they’re doing to finance and protect their clients’ cutting edge projects.”
Mendelson, a partner in the Silicon Valley office who co-chairs the firm’s Emerging Companies Practice Group and Life Sciences Industry Group, has long been a leader in the life sciences community. Among his many accomplishments, the Daily Journal noted his recent work advising Plexxikon Inc. in its $935 million acquisition by Daiichi Sankyo of Japan, and an initial public offering and follow-on stock offering by Complete Genomics Inc.
Wehrli, a partner in the firm’s San Diego office, advises on a range of life sciences matters with particular focus on structuring and negotiating complex “bet-the-company” intellectual property strategic transactions. For example, the Daily Journal cited his representation of Alios BioPharma Inc. in a collaboration agreement with Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. to co-develop and market a hepatitis C treatment, which could garner up to $1.5 billion for Alios and represents one of the largest biotechnology partnerships on record.
Latham & Watkins is just one of four firms to have multiple attorneys named to the Daily Journal’s “Biotech Top 25.” With nearly three decades of experience representing life sciences companies, the firm has one of the most integrated and comprehensive life sciences practices in the world. Latham & Watkins attorneys have expertise across all aspects of life sciences technologies, including biotechnology, bioinformatics, diagnostics, drug delivery, genomics, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, proteomics, therapeutics and research, discovery and development. Many of these attorneys hold advanced scientific degrees or have real world experience working in biotechnology, pharmaceutical and medical device companies or within the government agencies that regulate them — and thus they understand the unique economic, market, regulatory and political climates in which life sciences companies operate.