Scott Shean serves as primary outside counsel to several public and private companies in various industries, including healthcare, technology, and real estate. He advises clients on mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, and capital markets, and he has led the firm’s representation on numerous high profile and complex transactions. Mr. Shean is former Corporate Department Chair of the Orange County office and former Global Co-Chair of Latham’s Healthcare and Life Sciences Practice. He formerly served as the Managing Partner of the Orange County office from 2007 to 2014.

Mr. Shean has extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions and capital markets transactions, representing both companies and investment banks. He also provides corporate governance advice to several companies for which he serves as primary outside counsel.

Mr. Shean’s representative clients include Allergan (fka Actavis/ Watson), Amneal Pharmaceuticals, Akebia Therapeutics, Idera Pharmaceuticals, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Endologix Corporation, Aratana Therapeutics, CalAmp, Vizio, Newlight Technologies, J.P. Morgan, Morgan Stanley, and Goldman Sachs.

Recognition Highlights

Recognized as a Recommended Lawyer in Healthcare: Advice to Service Providers by The Legal 500 US 2020 

Recognized as a Recommended Lawyer in the Healthcare: Life Sciences by The Legal 500 US 2017-2018

Recognized as a Recommended Lawyer in the area of M&A/Corporate and Commercial by The Legal 500 US 2016

Named a “Life Science Star” for finance and transactional work in LMG Life Sciences 2015-2016

Described as making a “pivotal contribution” in the National Law Journal’s “Outside Lawyers to America’s Outstanding General Counsel.” (May 15, 2014)

Named by the Daily Journal in its list of the “Top 100 Lawyers in California” for 2013, and its “20 to Watch Under 40” list, recognizing top attorneys under the age of 40 in California.

Mr. Shean's representative transactions include:

  • Obagi in its US$1.2 billion business combination with Waldencast and Milk Makeup
  • Zogenix in its US$2 billion sale to UCB ChemoCentryx in its US$3.7 billion sale to Amgen
  • OmniAb in its US$850 million merger with Avista Public Acquisition Corp.
  • Momenta Pharmaceuticals in its US$6.5 billion acquisition by J&J
  • Ra Pharma in its US$2.5 billion acquisition by UCB
  • Ligand Pharmaceuticals in its US$500 million acquisition of Pfenex
  • Allergan (fka Actavis/ Watson) in its:
    • US$40.5 billion sale of its Global Generic Pharmaceuticals Business to Teva
    • US$25 billion acquisition of Forest Laboratories
    • £306 million acquisition of Auden Mckenzie Holdings Limited
    • US$8.5 billion acquisition of Warner Chilcott
    • Watson Pharmaceuticals in its US$5.65 billion acquisition of Actavis Group and related financings
    • Watson Pharmaceuticals in its US$1.8 billion acquisition of Arrow Group
    • Watson Pharmaceuticals in its US$2 billion acquisition of Andrx Corporation
  • Ignyta, Inc. in its US$1.7 billion acquisition by Roche  
  • Idera in its proposed merger with BioCryst
  • Akebia in its merger with Keryx
  • Sobi in its US$1.5 billion acquisition of RSV Products from AstraZeneca
  • Vizio in its US$2 billion sale to LeEco
  • 5.11 Tactical in its US$400 million sale to Compass Diversified Holdings
  • Receptos in its US$7.2 billion acquisition by Celgene
  • Questcor Pharmaceuticals in its US$5.6 billion sale to Mallinckrodt plc
  • Ariosa Diagnostics in its acquisition by Roche
  • Avanir Pharmaceuticals in its US$3.5 billion acquisition by Otsuka Pharmaceutical
  • J.P. Morgan as financial advisor to Thermo Fisher in its US$13.6 billion acquisition of Life Technologies
  • Medicis Pharmaceutical in the US$2.6 billion acquisition by Valeant Pharmaceuticals
  • Perella Weinberg Partners, as financial advisor to One Lambda in the pending acquisition by Thermo Fisher Scientific for US$925 million
  • Goldman, Sachs & Co. in the US$7 billion acquisition of Amylin Pharmaceuticals by Bristol-Myers Squibb
  • Quest Software in its US$2.4 billion acquisition by Dell
  • Complete Production Services in its US$6.2 billion merger with Superior Energy Services
  • Clarient in its US$600 million sale to General Electric
  • Visiogen, Inc. in its US$400 million sale to Abbott Laboratories
  • HCP, Inc. in its US$3 billion acquisition of Slough Estates USA
  • ICOS Corporation in its US$2.1 billion sale to Eli Lilly
  • FileNet Corporation in its US$1.6 billion sale to IBM
  • Varco International, Inc. in its US$5 billion merger with National Oilwell
  • Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc. in its US$10.3 billion acquisition of Caesars Entertainment
  • Pan Pacific Retail Properties, Inc. in its multi-billion dollar acquisitions of Western Properties Trust and Center Trust, Inc.
  • Paul Frank Industries in its sale to Saban Capital
  • Automotive.com in its sale to Primedia, Inc.

Bar Qualification

  • California

Education

  • JD, University of California, Los Angeles School of Law, 1994
  • BA, Williams College, 1991