New York, NY (June 29, 2018) – Fenwick & West announced that six intellectual property litigators — Jeffrey Oelke, Kevin McGann, James Trainor, Adam Gahtan, Robert Counihan and Ryan Johnson — have joined the firm as partners in New York.
“This group is an incredibly well-regarded team of intellectual property litigators with deep experience in the issues facing life sciences and technology companies,” said Fenwick chair Richard Dickson. “We are excited to explore new opportunities together during a time when our life sciences practice is growing rapidly, having doubled in less than three years.”
“The team is known as one of the most successful IP litigation groups in the country, and we are thrilled to have them join the firm and help our clients resolve their most important disputes,” said Fenwick managing partner Rodger Cole. “Adding these six highly accomplished partners, including multiple first-chair litigators, meets our clients’ growing needs, and supports our strategy to leverage New York’s impressive legal talent.”
Oelke, McGann, Trainor, Gahtan, Counihan and Johnson are well known for representing some of the world's preeminent life sciences, pharmaceutical, biotech and tech companies in high-profile patent litigation.
The team has tried pharmaceutical patent infringement cases, in particular Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) litigation under the Hatch-Waxman Act, and is litigating matters involving biosimilar drugs. In addition, the team has litigated IP cases for tech companies on issues in a variety of areas, including e-commerce, video streaming, mobile devices, wireless communication, semiconductor design, and the internet. The team also has a successful appellate record at the Federal Circuit, and has recently been retained as appellate counsel for matters in the pharmaceutical and diagnostic industries.
"We are excited by the opportunity to join Fenwick, and the firm’s singular focus on life sciences and technology is an ideal fit for our practice,” said Oelke. “Something that resonated with all of us is that the firm has an impressive group of lawyers and patent professionals dedicated to serving the highly technical needs of clients in this space.”
“We see important legal issues forming as the life sciences and technology industries converge, in areas like personalized medicine and digital health. Fenwick is uniquely positioned to serve those needs,” added McGann.
“We’re thrilled. Fenwick’s platform as a general practice, but one exclusively directed to all things technology and innovation, is really unique,” Trainor said. “That would be a brand-enhancer for any incoming group, but more importantly, it squares precisely with the mission at the core of the clients we have been fortunate to serve to this point. The fit really couldn’t be better.”
Joining from White & Case, Oelke, McGann, Trainor, Gahtan, Counihan and Johnson augment Fenwick’s deep bench of experienced trial lawyers. They have been recognized for their accomplishments as leading patent practitioners by Chambers Global, IAM Patent 1000, TheLegal 500, LMG Life Sciences and Law360.
Fenwick opened its New York office in 2016 to address growing client demand from the area’s technology, life sciences and investment communities. The office has more than doubled in size since opening, including through lateral partner additions Ian Goldstein, Ethan Skerry, Jeff Greene, Jim Koenig and Matthew Cantor. The firm recently announced plans to move its New York office to 902 Broadway in the Flatiron district, the hub of New York’s technology, startup and venture capital community.
About Fenwick & West
Fenwick & West LLP provides comprehensive legal services to leading technology and life sciences companies — at every stage of their lifecycle — and the investors that partner with them. We craft innovative, cost-effective and practical solutions in areas ranging from venture capital, public offerings, joint ventures, M&A and strategic relationships, to intellectual property, litigation and dispute resolution, taxation, antitrust and employment and labor law. For more than four decades, Fenwick has helped some of the world's most recognized companies become and remain market leaders. For more information, please visit fenwick.com.