Orrick Boosts Life Sciences Platform With 4-Partner Powerhouse IP Litigation Team
4 minute read | November.15.2022
- David Gindler, Gary Frischling, Lauren Drake and John Lu join as partners in Southern California from Milbank.
- The team is nationally recognized for its record protecting the innovations of major biotech companies and others in complex patent cases.
- Orrick has added 22 partners to our life sciences platform since 2019 in transactional, litigation and regulatory areas and advises 500+ companies in this space.
David, who headed Milbank’s IP litigation and licensing practice, observed: “Everything about Orrick resonates for our team in terms of our vision for our practice – the quality of the IP litigation platform, the integrated approach to serving life sciences clients, the record of innovation and the commitment to developing the next generation of leaders. We are very excited to become part of the Orrick team.”
Prior to joining Milbank, the team practiced together for many years at Irell & Manella, where David served as the firm’s managing partner and Gary as co-leader of the IP practice.
In describing Orrick’s strategy, Orrick Chair Mitch Zuklie noted: “In 2019, we set an objective to build a top-tier, holistic practice serving the life sciences sector – an essential part of the economy. We started with a strong but small foundation. We launched our Boston office, in part, because of its importance to the life science sector. Since then, we have been thrilled with the quality of the practitioners we have attracted globally. This IP litigation team adds an essential piece to our integrated offering – with talent that is unsurpassed in the market.”
Orrick IP Business Unit Leader Clem Roberts noted: “Life sciences was the missing piece in our IP litigation portfolio, and we were patient about finding the right team in terms of quality, cultural fit, and shared vision. We have zero doubt that we have found the best team in the market – and we are excited to add them at a time that our IP practice is on fire.”
The group joins an Orrick IP litigation practice that has led major matters for Sonos, Oracle and others, and an appellate team that has racked up a string of wins in life sciences cases for Gilead, Kite Pharma and Johnson & Johnson.
These hires continue the firm’s recent litigation growth in SoCal, where this year we added first chair trial lawyer Bill Oxley, who returned to the firm in Los Angeles to team up with Meghan Kelly in NY, and tech litigator Ben Au in Santa Monica. This also follows our recent addition of partner Anna Aryankalayil from the FTC, who brings a focus on advising life sciences companies and beyond to our antitrust practice in Washington, D.C.
American Lawyer covered the team’s move in this feature.
ABOUT THE TEAM
David Gindler
David, one of the nation’s top patent litigators, is recognized by Chambers as Band 2 for Life Sciences: IP/Patent Litigation – USA Nationwide and California. He has achieved extraordinary trial outcomes for both plaintiffs and defendants, including a $302 million verdict for breach of a research and license agreement, as well as defeating a $217 million damages claim where liability had already been established in an earlier trial handled by a different law firm. LMG Life Sciences Awards has recognized him as California General Patent Litigator of the Year and with the “Patent Impact Case of the Year” award. He was a Daily Journal Top IP Litigator for seven consecutive years.
Gary Frischling
Gary has also been named a Daily Journal Top IP Litigator multiple times and has won major patent cases for companies such as Gilead, Ferring Pharmaceuticals and St. Jude Medical. He has deep experience advising clients in protecting innovations in new drugs and drug delivery systems, medical devices and biotherapies.
Lauren Drake
Lauren has extensive experience representing clients in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. She has secured important trial wins in patent litigation in the federal courts and handled successful matters before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. Law360 named Lauren an IP Rising Star, and she is recognized on Benchmark Litigation’s “40 and Under Hot List.”
John Lu
John focuses on patent infringement, trade secret misappropriation and other IP matters, including litigation involving Chinese entities. His major clients have included Genentech, Gilead, Rosenberger Asia Pacific, and Tris. John serves as chairman of the board of directors for the Asian Pacific American Dispute Resolution Center. He is recognized on Benchmark Litigation’s “40 and Under Hot List.” John is conversant in Mandarin Chinese.