Overview
WASHINGTON — McDermott Will & Emery is proud to announce that Vernessa T. Pollard was named 2018 Regulatory Attorney of the Year: FDA Medical Devices by LMG Life Sciences. In addition to Vernessa, 11 lawyers from the Firm’s Health Industry Advisory Practice garnered individual recognitions as “Life Sciences Stars” for their contributions to the field, based on client and peer feedback.
Vernessa provides strategic counsel to clients on pre-market strategy, post-market compliance and policy matters involving medical devices. She advises global companies, start-ups, and investors on innovative digital health solutions, including clinical decision support (CDS), software as a medical device (SaMD), and AI-powered algorithms. On regulatory and compliance issues, she counsels clients on mergers, acquisitions and other transactions involving FDA-regulated products. As well as co-leading the Firm’s FDA practice, Vernessa serves on the Food and Drug Law Institute’s Medical Products Advisory Committee and is former co-chair of its Medical Devices and Diagnostics Committee. She is a founding member of MedTech Color, an organization dedicated to advancing diversity throughout the medical technology ecosystem.
LMG Life Sciences also named several McDermott lawyers “Life Sciences Stars,” showcasing the Firm’s extensive intellectual property, litigation, transactional and regulatory legal thought-leadership across the life sciences sector. The recognized lawyers are:
- Jeffrey W. Brennan – Non-IP Litigation
- Sarah Chapin Columbia – Intellectual Property
- William Gaede – Intellectual Property
- Sarah T. Hogan – Finance & Transactional
- Byron S. Kalogerou – Finance & Transactional
- Judy Mohr, PhD – Intellectual Property
- Veleka Peeples-Dyer – Regulatory
- Vernessa T. Pollard – Regulatory
- Paul W. Radensky, MD – Regulatory
- T. Reed Stephens – Non-IP Litigation
- Kristian A. Werling – Finance & Transactional
“These recognitions reflect the personal passion and top-notch legal counsel Vernessa and the rest of the Life Sciences team bring to clients, and which sets McDermott’s lawyers apart,” said Kristian Werling, co-chair of the McDermott’s Life Sciences Practice. “It also underscores the collective power of our cross-practice collaborations – particularly with our health care and intellectual property colleagues – enabling us to provide effective strategies and unexpected solutions for our life sciences clients. We are excited to continue delivering superior results on their behalf.”
McDermott’s Intellectual Property Practice, which had three members recognized as “Stars” by LMG Life Sciences, continues to grow and evolve, distinguishing itself through high-stakes work in the life sciences space – both in the US and around the world.
“We know that helping our life sciences clients protect and leverage their intellectual property assets is crucial, and requires integrated, comprehensive counsel,” said Nicole Jantzi, leader of the Firm’s Global Intellectual Property Practice. “Our lawyers collaborate across practice areas and draw on technical and industry expertise to ensure seamless operations and develop strategic solutions for our clients. We are honored to have this top-tier client service acknowledged by LMG Life Sciences.”
In addition to the individual recognitions, LMG Life Sciences also ranked McDermott as “recommended” in the areas of FDA: Medical Devices, Healthcare: Pricing & Reimbursement, Patent Strategy and Management, Product Liability, and White-Collar/Government Investigation.
McDermott Will & Emery is the nation’s leading health care law firm. The Health Industry Advisory group is the only health practice to receive top national rankings from US News – Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms,” Chambers USA, The Legal 500 US, and Law360. The practice was also recognized by Chambers as “Health Team of the Year” in 2010, 2013 and 2017. Since 2017, McDermott has taken the top spot in PitchBook’s League Tables as the most active firm for health care private equity.
To view the full 2018 listings from LMG Life Sciences, please click here.
About McDermott Will & Emery
McDermott Will & Emery is a premier international law firm with a diversified business practice. Numbering more than 1,000 lawyers, we have offices in Boston, Brussels, Chicago, Dallas, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Miami, Milan, Munich, New York, Orange County, Paris, San Francisco, Seoul, Silicon Valley and Washington, DC. Further extending our reach into Asia, we have a strategic alliance with MWE China Law Offices in Shanghai.
About LMG Life Sciences
LMG Life Sciences publishes the definitive guide to leading North American law firms and lawyers specialized in the life sciences industry. The guide’s listings are based on online surveys and interviews with lawyers across the United States, as well as public information and feedback from clients within the industry. The annual LMG Life Sciences Awards honor the top life sciences practitioners from the US, Canada and Europe, and recognize the innovative work being accomplished throughout the life sciences industry.
