Overview
BOSTON (Jan. 23, 2018)—International law firm McDermott Will & Emery announced today that Kristina (Kris) Bieker-Brady, PhD/JD has joined as a partner in the Intellectual Property (IP) practice, resident in the Firm’s Boston office. Kris, a renowned intellectual property lawyer to pharma, biotech and medical device companies, will deepen and strengthen McDermott’s dynamic life sciences practice.
Clients look to Kris as a trusted advisor and rely on her valuable counsel as they formulate their business strategy. Global healthcare fund management company, OrbiMed, has been working with Kris’ for over 17 years. “Kris has guided the company through complex patent issues that played a critical role in our investment decisions,” said Jonathan Silverstein, General Partner and Co-Head of Global Private Equity at OrbiMed. “Additionally, dozens of our portfolio companies have sought her guidance as they think through strategic opportunities.”
Kris brings to McDermott more than 20 years of experience in all facets of IP strategy for life sciences companies, including patent prosecution, patent strategy, life cycle management, licensing and collaboration strategies, joint development agreements and due diligence for both private financings and IPOs.
“As a PhD and a well-rounded patent attorney, Kris has solidified her spot on a very short list of go-to IP lawyers for life sciences companies,” said Nicole Jantzi, global head of McDermott’s Intellectual Property Practice. “She is a great addition to the group as we continue to reinforce our life sciences IP capabilities.”
“The life sciences sector is one of the fastest growing industries in the nation, especially in Boston,” said Sarah Columbia, leading IP litigator in McDermott’s Boston office. “We look forward to having Kris join our team and bring her IP prowess in the life sciences arena to bear for clients both here in Boston and across McDermott’s global platform.”
Kris joining is part of McDermott’s strategic effort to continue to enhance the Firm’s breadth of life sciences offerings to address client needs across a broad spectrum of technologies and services. As part of this effort, McDermott also recently hired Roger Kuan and Jason Novak who have extensive experience providing IP counsel to clients in the digital health and precision medicine markets. Together, Kris, Roger and Jason deepen McDermott’s bench and bolster the Firm’s capabilities at the intersection of IP and life sciences.
“I am eager to integrate my IP prosecution and investment due diligence experience across the Firm’s global platform,” said Kris. “My goal is to help promote truly integrated cross-practice synergies to achieve efficient and superior results for corporate clients in the life sciences industry and beyond. McDermott’s deep commitment to life sciences and strong legal bench provide just the platform I was looking for to springboard my practice and deliver first-in-class service to my clients.”
Kris earned her JD from Boston College Law School and her PhD in Molecular Biology from Princeton University. She joins McDermott from Clark & Elbing, an intellectual property firm based in Boston.
About McDermott
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, Seoul, Silicon Valley and Washington, DC. Further extending our reach into Asia, we have a strategic alliance with MWE China Law Offices in Shanghai.
