Arnold & Porter Announces Opening of Boston Office, Further Expansion of Preeminent Global Life Sciences Capabilities

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BOSTON, September 20, 2023 — Arnold & Porter announced today that it has opened an office in Boston with a focus on life sciences and health care transactions, litigation, regulatory counseling, and government investigations. Arnold & Porter is globally renowned for decades of excellence in its legal work for the life sciences industry, including numerous Boston-based biotech companies. The Boston office will strengthen the firm’s ability to provide the most comprehensive and innovative services to clients in these dynamic practice areas. This investment follows the opening of the Amsterdam office in August 2022, which significantly enhanced the firm’s European life sciences regulatory capabilities.

Hemmie Chang, a well-known and highly respected lawyer in the life sciences community, will head the Boston office and serve as a partner in the Corporate & Finance practice and Life Sciences Industry Group, with experienced life sciences-focused litigators Josh Barlow and Fred Kelly joining her as partners in that office.

Richard M. Alexander, Chairman of Arnold & Porter, said: “We are delighted to expand our interdisciplinary offerings to Boston, a global hub for the life sciences, healthcare, and tech industries. The addition of Hemmie, Josh, and Fred, with their impressive reputations and track record of handling high-stakes matters, and their commitment to our shared values, further solidifies our market-leading offerings.” Alexander noted that the firm plans to invest further in the Boston office by recruiting other prominent attorneys from the Boston area and leveraging the capabilities of other attorneys from the rest of the firm.

“While we have long had many Boston-based clients, this new office provides the opportunity to further integrate our firm into Boston’s vibrant life sciences and healthcare ecosystem. Being in Boston will allow the team to closely collaborate with local industry players, strengthen our presence, and enhance our ability to serve clients,” added Dan Kracov, co-chair of Arnold & Porter’s Life Sciences & Healthcare Regulatory practice and its global Life Sciences practice.

In launching the Boston office, partner Hemmie Chang said: “Arnold & Porter’s integrated platform, its existing life sciences capabilities, and its highly collaborative culture are truly impressive, and these attributes are a major part of why I was attracted to join the firm. With the opening of the Boston office, we will further enhance our ability to provide clients with comprehensive, top-notch services. I look forward to working with the firm’s talented team to find creative solutions that successfully address our clients’ most complex needs.”

Rahul Khara, General Counsel of Boston-based Disc Medicine, said: “While they already have deep relationships with numerous clients in Boston, I am thrilled that Arnold & Porter has further strengthened their commitment to supporting the life sciences community here. They are involved in virtually every development in the field, and given their incredible expertise, I am sure they will be in great demand.”

Globally renowned in the life sciences sector, Arnold & Porter provides creative and effective solutions for its clients, ranging from early-stage startups to global enterprises. The team was at the forefront in advising life sciences companies on the novel issues arising from the development of COVID-19 vaccines, and they have vast experience in matters involving drugs, medical devices, and diagnostics. Chambers, Legal 500, LMG Life Sciences, Law360, and other prominent publications have recognized Arnold & Porter as a leader in the life sciences space for its comprehensive support and advocacy for clients. The practice includes an internationally recognized Life Sciences Transactions team that provides clients with the breadth and depth needed to get the full range of their increasingly complex deals done efficiently and effectively. From M&A and financings to licensing, collaborations, commercial arrangements, and digital health and technology deals, the firm integrates its extensive transactional, intellectual property, regulatory, antitrust, and litigation experience to help life sciences companies and healthcare providers enhance their ability to advance the standard for care in an ever-evolving, highly regulated industry.

• Hemmie Chang joins as a partner in the Corporate & Finance practice and Life Sciences Industry Group. She advises clients on high-profile intellectual property transactions. Chang brings more than two decades of experience in the biopharmaceutical, medical device, diagnostics, gene and cell therapy, and genomics sectors. She advises both established and emerging companies on a wide variety of licensing matters, from development to marketing deals — all of which involve a broad range of intellectual property assets, from patents and trade secrets to trademarks and copyrights. Chang earned her J.D. from Harvard Law School and received her A.B. from Princeton University. She has been recognized for her outstanding work in the life sciences field, including being inducted into the LMG Life Sciences Hall of Fame in the area of “Licensing & Collaboration.” She recently was named a “Go-To Lawyer” for life sciences by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly and was recognized by the Global M&A Network on its “Top Women Dealmakers” list.
• Josh Barlow, a seasoned trial lawyer, joins the Boston office as a partner in the Litigation practice. He focuses on complex commercial and product liability disputes and has successfully litigated cases for life sciences and other companies, trying several intellectual property and commercial matters to conclusion. Barlow has appeared in U.S. federal and state courts and domestic and international arbitration proceedings. He has represented life sciences companies on bet-the-company issues involving consumer product pricing, misappropriation of trade secrets and proprietary information, employee restrictive covenants, patent infringement, patent validity, adequacy of product warnings, alleged defects in product design and manufacture, and contractual diligence obligations. Barlow earned his J.D. from Boston University School of Law and received his B.A. from Boston University.
• Fred Kelly, a trial lawyer with more than 30 years of experience, also joins the Boston office as a partner in the Litigation practice. He has litigated a wide range of commercial and product-related disputes for life sciences companies and other industries. Kelly has represented clients in disputes involving reverse payment agreements, False Claims Act issues, state consumer protection acts matters, trade secret and noncompetition claims, protection of confidential and proprietary information, and product advertising and promotion matters. He also advises companies in product safety cases — including mass tort matters — and recently served as national counsel for a medical device manufacturer in a significant product liability case. He earned his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law and received his A.B. from Harvard College.

Over the past year, Arnold & Porter has expanded its U.S. and European life sciences regulatory footprints with partners Gina Cavalier (Los Angeles) and Liz Lindquist (Denver), counsel Monique Nolan (Washington, D.C.), and partners Carla Schoonderbeek and Bart Jong (Amsterdam). The firm also bolstered its life sciences Intellectual Property team with partner Abigail Struthers (New York) and its Life Sciences Transactions practice with partners Betty Yan and Niket Rele (New York).

Arnold & Porter’s Boston office is located at 200 Clarendon Street, an iconic building known colloquially as The Hancock.

About Arnold & Porter

Arnold & Porter combines sophisticated regulatory, litigation, and transactional capabilities to resolve clients’ most complex issues. With over 1,000 lawyers practicing in 15 offices worldwide, we offer deep industry experience and an integrated approach that spans more than 40 practice areas. Through multidisciplinary collaboration and focused industry experience, we provide innovative and effective solutions to mitigate risks, address challenges, and achieve successful outcomes.