Global Law Firm Launches Life Sciences Advisory

"As the life sciences landscape evolves, including execution of increasingly complex transactions, biotech companies are searching for increasingly sophisticated advisory services," said Vince Guglielmotti, CEO and chair of Brown Rudnick. "The formation of BR BioAdvisory positions us to become the market leader in meeting that unmet corporate need."

Biotech veterans Chris Jeffers and Elizabeth Parsons have joined Brown Rudnick's Washington, D.C., office to lead the team. Jeffers serves as senior vice president, life sciences. Parsons is a partner in Brown Rudnick's Intellectual Property practice. They have been joined by several experienced consultants, providing business and finance support.

Jeffers and Parsons previously worked together at Hibiscus Bioventures LLC, a venture studio and affiliated venture capital firm co-founded by Jeffers and partners in 2019. Parsons served as general counsel to the studio and many of its portfolio companies, including Primera Therapeutics and Regio BioSciences. They also worked together at Womble Carlyle and Mintz Levin, where both Jeffers and Parsons were partners.

In addition to Jeffers and Parsons, the team of lead consultants includes Kenneth Carter, a biotechnology industry executive and scientific leader with deep experience in early-stage company development; Mitchell Chan, who brings 20 years of experience in capital markets and the life sciences industries; Jill Jene, who has more than 20 years of biopharmaceutical strategy, leadership and dealmaking experience in the life sciences industry; Michael King, a pharmaceutical and biotechnology executive with more than 30 years of experience as a chief financial officer, chief business officer, in corporate finance and management consulting; Juan Montesinos, an operations and corporate development leader; and Anthony Schwartz, an entrepreneur with nearly 20 years of experience in biotechnology-based startup companies. Together they have deep experience in the industry and an extensive network of experts.

BR BioAdvisory will bring a full suite of advisory services to clients, including developing and implementing business development and partnering processes; assisting with clinical and pre-clinical development plans and resources; making introductions to both investors or commercial partners; helping clients strategize and execute financing plans; working with academic and corporate clients to identify and monetize intellectual property portfolio value, including new company formation and portfolio management, and assisting in building management teams. BR BioAdvisory is also working with a range of biotech investors to streamline the process sourcing initial seed capital for their clients and affiliates. When partnered with Brown Rudnick's strong legal capabilities in these areas, this range of functional offerings to clients is unique among biotech law firms, and will provide seamless integration between business and legal processes.

BR BioAdvisory will focus on therapeutics (small molecule, biological and cell and gene therapy), medical technology and devices, diagnostics and certain agricultural biotech and industrial biotech industries. The team also includes a broad range of affiliated consultants and advisors in most functional areas of life science product development, including, but not limited to, finance, business development, regulatory affairs and quality, clinical operations, and technical, scientific and CMC advisory services.

"We are thrilled to offer this new service that will provide biotech and pharma companies a bespoke solution to their most complex problems," said Adam Schoen and Michael Cohen, leaders of Brown Rudnick's Life Sciences group. "BR BioAdvisory also provides both breadth and depth to our existing team and expands our capabilities."

Jeffers and Parsons said, "As we began to look for the right platform to launch this new integrated business-legal initiative, it became clear that Brown Rudnick, with its strong foundations in the life sciences community, extensive network of life science investors and developers, and ability and commitment to readily adapt to client needs, was the obvious choice."

BR BioAdvisory will serve as "hubs" for a biotech ecosystem of affiliated investors, professionals and companies to support startup incubators, accelerators and other entities.

Jeffers and Parsons continued, "BRB will help companies navigate both market and operational complexities, so that they can attract the capital and talent, and secure the technologies, needed to advance development programs to their next financial inflection point, and ultimately to commercial approval and use. These capabilities are becoming ever more critical to supporting successful development of increasingly complex technologies, with multiple involved parties, substantial intellectual property, a range of required functional experts required to achieve successful development. We are excited to work with our clients and partners to help find new and creative ways to navigate the biotech development and commercial landscape."

SOURCE: Brown Rudnick LLP