Faber Daeufer & Itrato recently announced Katherine Pinto as the firm’s Director of Human Resources. With more than a decade of HR experience, Pinto has a proven track record of helping law firms manage and enhance employee relations. Firm principal, Joe Faber, said the practice is fortunate to add Pinto’s skills, experience, and judgment to its operational management team. He stated, “Katherine has worked for many years in human resources roles in law firms and knows the unique challenges they face in attracting talent, retaining talent, designing work environments that optimize service to clients, and creating career advancement opportunities.”
Pinto began consulting with Faber during the pandemic, working on project-based assignments, before transitioning into her new position earlier this year. Pinto said that she enjoyed getting to know the operations team during her time as a consultant and was very impressed with the firm’s leadership. “They are really invested and take a unique approach to their treatment of the firm’s operations staff. They demonstrate a commitment to fully involving non-lawyers in the decision-making and growth of the firm.”
Aden Hizkias recently joined Faber, where she will be supporting the firm’s drug development clients on transactions related to R&D activities. Hizkias is one of three female attorneys joining the practice this fall as first year associates. “We are thrilled to have these three talented women who each bring their own fresh outlook to the firm,” said Faber Counsel Neil Campbell. In her new position, Hizkias hopes to grow her knowledge base and use it to support the firm’s activities. “I want to broaden my experience with a range of R&D agreement types, as well as and how the clinical development field operates in concert with the law.”
Faber recently announced the addition of Emma Phillips to its R & D transactional team. A graduate of the University of Richmond School of Law, Phillips concentrated her legal studies on transactional coursework and honed her skills in contract drafting while working at a small, client-focused firm. Phillips said that she became interested in biotechnology and life sciences spaces during her time in law school and wanted to find a role where she could use her knowledge to support those areas. “One of my main goals as an attorney is to use my knowledge and expertise to help people, and to make the world around me a better place. Faber’s reputation in the life sciences industry is fantastic, and this combined with the firm’s welcoming culture as well as its overall positive impact made the decision to apply, and eventually join the firm, an easy one.”
Faber recently announced that Amelia Melas has joined the firm’s R&D transactional team. A graduate of Boston University School of Law, Melas served as a Managing Editor for the American Journal of Law & Medicine, one of the country’s leading health law journals. She also has significant experience assisting with matters related to healthcare regulation. “Amelia contributes a fresh perspective to the firm,” said Faber Associate Heather Centauro. “She has firsthand experience with the legal and business challenges that biopharma companies face.” Melas will help to support biopharma companies with the range of services agreements and clinical study contracts which will in turn help accelerate R&D efforts.
We are thrilled to announce an exciting update on the progress of Faber’s Equal Justice Works (EJW) fellow Madeline Middlebrooks (Semanisin). Middlebrooks has been working with Great Rivers Environmental Law Center since Fall of 2020 to address the lead contamination crisis in St. Louis Public Schools (SLPS). As a result of Middlebrooks’ and many others hard work and dedication, Governor Mike Parson has signed off on legislation which requires water testing in Missouri public schools, as well as devotes $27 million in federal funds to help schools install water filters.
Faber Daeufer & Itrato, in collaboration with Danforth Advisors, recently presented the second in a series of presentations about best contracting practices for the research, development and commercial activities of drug development companies. How to Navigate Key Sponsor-Provider Agreements to Improve Your Outcome focused on describing key agreements, outlining their purposes, and how each impact working with Clinical Research Organizations (CROs). They also offered their insight on common issues that come up, and how to maximize leverage when negotiating different agreements.
Audy Marton recently joined Faber Daeufer & Itrato as the firm’s newest Counsel. With a strong background in technology and intellectual property transactions, Marton brings experience supporting cloud, internet of things, medical devices and artificial intelligence, as well as various other software and hardware initiatives. “She has considerable experience working on software-related agreements, including SaaS Agreements and software licenses, and other technology-related agreements, in both commercial and academic environments,” said Faber Senior Counsel Jacqui Hall. “She also has significant expertise in advising clients on privacy issues related to use of such technology.”
The ACI’s 9th Annual Summit on Women Leaders in Life Sciences Law will be held July 27th – July 28th in Boston, MA. The conference provides a forum for in-person networking and collaboration, with the opportunity to learn from nearly 200 female attorneys and executives from the biotech, pharmaceutical, and medical device industries.
Faber recently welcomed Anita Ishmael as the firm’s newest Corporate Paralegal. Ishmael brings several years’ experience assisting attorneys on a variety of corporate law matters, including venture capital financings, buy-outs, equity plan administration, SEC filings, and corporate governance. “We are very excited to have Anita join our Corporate Group and be a part of our Paralegal Team,” said Faber Corporate Paralegal Susan Bragdon. “She brings with her a terrific skillset, experience, and knowledge of the corporate work we perform here at Faber. She is also a wonderful fit with Faber’s core values and corporate culture.”
Faber Daeufer & Itrato welcomed acclaimed sports journalist Ron Thomas, the chair of the Journalism in Sports, Culture and Social Justice Department at Morehouse College, to speak in honor of Black History Month. Sponsored by the Black Civil Rights Education (BCRE) subcommittee of the firm’s Equity Diversity and Inclusion Committee, the presentation included an in-depth examination of Black Americans in sports and their historical intersection with activism. “I want to spotlight Black activist athletes over the last 200 years, both their success and consequences,” said Thomas. “I contend that, sometimes, the athlete’s mere presence was activism because it caused white society to respond and often lash out. Others earned the term of activist by blatantly defying societal norms.”
Faber is pleased to announce Molly Gordon as the third recipient of their two-year Faber Fellowship, in partnership with Equal Justice Works (EJW). Gordon’s fellowship will begin in Fall 2022. A recent graduate of UCLA, she will be working with Southeast Louisiana Legal Services to help increase housing stability for renters who have been subject to unfair rent debt collecting practices as a result of the pandemic.
Her project will focus on the low-income renters who, throughout the course of the pandemic, fell behind on rent through no fault of their own. Gordon will represent tenants who have been sued for alleged rent debt or have had debt referred to collection agencies as well as bring claims under federal consumer protection statuses against landlords and debt buyers engaging in abusive practices. Additionally, she will help renters understand their rights to dispute inaccurate credit reporting. She will also work in coalition with housing advocacy groups for state and local policy solutions to the rent debt crisis in Louisiana.
Faber Daeufer & Itrato is partnering with Boston-based Artists For Humanity (AFH) for the firm’s 2022 art installation initiative. The nonprofit organization offers teens paid apprenticeships in the visual arts and creative industries. One of the city’s largest on-site employers of under-resourced teens, AFH provides valuable job and cultural experiences during out-of-school hours.
“We are excited to partner with Artists For Humanity, an organization that looks to employ and give opportunities to urban teenagers to pursue their dreams and create works of art and design for local individuals and businesses,” said Suzann Thomas, Faber’s Director of Finance and Operations.
Faber Daeufer & Itrato recently expanded its administrative team with the addition of Sarah Hamilton and Sheronda Jackson-Skipper as Document Production Specialists. The firm hopes to continue to grow its technical capabilities and capacity to handle increasingly complex document production, in order to support the growth of the firm’s complex transactional practice. Hamilton and Jackson-Skipper will work with the firm’s attorneys, contract specialists, and paralegals to ensure the timely completion of all word processing and document production requests.
Faber Daeufer & Itrato recently welcomed Maria Stracqualursi as its newest Associate. With several years’ experience working in corporate practice groups, Stracqualursi is well versed in assisting start-up tech companies and representing clients from formation to exit, including venture financing and M&A transactions. “Maria is a strong associate who will be bringing valuable experience and perspectives to our group,” said Faber principal Kurt Machemer. “She will be assisting clients on a variety of venture finance and corporate organizational and transactional matters, and counseling clients on general governance.”
After more than two years of social distancing, the law offices of Faber Daeufer & Itrato are reopening on April 25th with a number of firm members returning to the Waltham, Massachusetts office, and others settling into a brand-new office space located in the heart of Manhattan. Faber Principal Lily Vakili explained that the reopening will involve a mixture of schedules with some people working in the office most days of the week and others maintaining a primarily remote working arrangement. “Faber has always approached work life balance in this manner, so, in a lot of ways, we are continuing what the firm did at its inception, a mixture of brick and mortar and virtual that is adaptive to our colleagues’ needs. The pandemic taught us all about the importance of being flexible, so it will be a bit of an experiment, but very exciting.”
Faber Daeufer & Itrato recently announced the promotion of Adrienne Lazure from Legal Assistant and Senior Administrative Assistant to Associate Corporate Paralegal and Senior Administrative Assistant. A highly skilled administrator, Lazure is excited to expand on her previous role by increasing her involvement in more complex work within the firm’s Corporate Group.
Faber Daeufer & Itrato’s internal Equity,Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) site represents a unique collaboration amongfirm members to explore issues related to equity, diversity, and inclusion.Started in 2020, the site’s monthly additions have evolved into an extensiveresource for learning and inspiring thoughtful conversations. Contributions tothe page are made by firm members belonging to the EDI committee andsubcommittees. The three subcommittees, the “Women’s Initiative Subcommittee,”the “Educational and Cultural Events Programming Subcommittee,” and the “Black Civil Rights Employee Education Subcommittee,” each aim to bring attention todifferent issues related to the respective groups of individuals.
After six years as Senior Counsel, Jill Alvarez has accepted a position as Principal at Faber. This new role reflects the high value that the firm’s biopharmaceutical clients place in her counsel around legal issues involved in structuring and managing relationships with service providers, hospital sites, investigators, and other participants in the conduct and oversight of clinical studies. This new role also means that Alvarez will be more directly involved in strategic planning for the firm, and in helping to shape its approach to training and mentoring less senior lawyers and contracts specialists.
Faber recently announced the promotion of Porcia Thurston to Senior Contracts Specialist. Faber’s contracts specialist team – which it believes is unique among private law firms – includes an exceptional team of professionals (some without formal legal training and some with legal training). The team helps to effectively and thoughtfully address clients’ needs for day-to-day, high volume, template-based contracting support – including support on consulting agreements, non-clinical and clinical services agreements, clinical study agreements, etc. Contracts specialists work side-by-side with, and under the supervision of, senior lawyers with deep experience in biopharma R&D contracting.
Faber recently announced the promotion of Jodi Stanfield to the role of Senior Counsel. The promotion reflects Stanfield’s emergence as a leader of its global clinical trials transactional practice and one of its most experienced lawyers working on the application of GDPR and other privacy laws in this practice area. Stanfield’s promotion is particularly significant because she is one of the firm’s lawyers who works fully remotely. “I am so fortunate to have the opportunity to live in Zug, and yet work successfully for a dynamic law firm that is a leader in biopharmaceutical transactional work in the US.”
Faber recently announced the promotion of Heather Centauro to Associate, making her the first member of the firm’s contracts specialist team to transition to the attorney career track. Faber’s contracts specialist team – which it believes is unique among private law firms – includes an exceptional team of professionals (some without formal legal training and some with legal training). The team helps to efficiently and pragmatically address clients’ needs for day-to-day, high volume, template-based contracting support – including support on consulting agreements, non-clinical and clinical services agreements, clinical study agreements, etc. Contracts specialists work side-by-side with, and under the supervision of, senior lawyers with deep experience in biopharma R&D contracting. As a firm associate, Centauro will leverage her now much stronger skill set and broader experience to both supervise work of contracts specialists, and also to take on more complex transactional projects.
Faber Daeufer & Itrato recently welcomed Alex Cruz Rodriguez to the firm. During law school he worked as a Judicial Intern for District Court Judge Sarah Netburn of the Southern District of New York, and as a Judicial Extern for District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin of the District of Massachusetts.
“Alex comes to us with a strong foundation of professional and academic experience,” said Faber Senior Counsel Jodi Stanfield. “Prior to attending Boston University School of Law, he worked as a paralegal at several law firms. Alex also speaks several languages, has studied abroad at a number of international universities, and has been active in several pro bono programs serving immigrant communities.”
Faber Daeufer & Itrato hired Neil Campbell as a Counsel in its licensing and R&D transactional practice. Having worked both as a bench scientist for a leading academic medical institution and then as a lawyer in the life sciences transactional practice for a leading global law firm, Campbell contributes to the high-level of industry knowledge and experience that Faber provides its clients. “Neil brings great insight and perspective from his previous professional experience. He has a great rapport with both business and scientific leadership at our drug development clients and is already becoming a valuable member of the team,” said Faber Principal Lily Vakili.
The Faber Daeufer & Itrato Philanthropy Committee has some new faces and fresh ideas for meeting the firm’s commitment to engaging philanthropically within its professional and geographic communities. With a directive to spend 1% of the firm’s budgeted annual revenue, the Committee has identified two major initiatives for monetary contributions and sponsorship – the Biomedical Science Careers Program (BSCP) and the American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge Project.
Principal Tim LaBua began chairing the Philanthropy Committee in early 2021. He explained that while the firm has continued to support a diverse group of projects and causes, this year’s committee specifically wanted to leverage the mission of the firm’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee by seeking philanthropic opportunities targeted at reducing the opportunity gap in life sciences and addressing challenges in access to healthcare.
Faber Daeufer & Itrato, in collaboration with Danforth Advisors, recently presented the first in a series of presentations about best contracting practices for the research, development and commercial activities of drug development companies. Accountability in CRO Relationships focused on the engagement of Clinical Research Organizations (CROs), and addressed general topics around managing operational risk, financial risk, unexpected changes, and post-study liability.
With a combination of military training, litigation experience and life science industry knowledge, Paul Wagoner is a valuable new addition to the Faber team. He comes to the firm having spent more than a decade providing counsel to public officials, senior military commanders and life science executives. “Paul’s experience as a litigator and client counselor provides Faber’s clients with access to a unique assessment of risk management and strategy to achieve business objectives,” said Faber Principal Sumy Daeufer.
Faber recently welcomed Michelle Irick as a new firm associate. With significant experience assisting life sciences clients in various clinical study-related contractual matters, Irick provides clients with highly skilled counsel. Throughout her career, she has facilitated a broad range of studies, from cutting edge stem cell research to basic science research uncovering foundational principles. “Michelle brings to Faber a valuable perspective on R&D and clinical agreements and issues based on her experience working on complex, hybrid agreements and privacy and other compliance issues in the legal departments of large academic hospitals,” said Faber principal Sumy Daeufer.
It may be hard to believe, but it's been a year since Faber Daeufer & Itrato's second Equal Justice Works fellow Madeline Middlebrooks began working to address the lead contamination water crisis in St. Louis Public Schools (SLPS). Through an initiative hosted by Great Rivers Environmental Law Center, Middlebrooks has been hard at work implementing a multi-dimensional strategy and advocating for the safety of school-aged children. With a focus on a predominantly African American area of the city, she has spent the past year investigating, coalition building and inspiring change in an area of the city where water contamination poses a serious health threat.
Faber Daeufer & Itrato PC recently added an innovative role to their corporate structure and welcomed a new firm member into the position. Jennifer Creamer has joined the firm as Client Relationship Analyst, where she will help maximize client experiences. “My goals in this new position are to help assess where Faber wants to be in the future, and identify what it wants to accomplish,” said Creamer, “as well as determine how to achieve those goals. I also hope to be able to provide analytical insight into the firm’s operations, as it can be incredibly valuable for directing efforts moving forward.”
Faber Daeufer & Itrato recently took steps to neutralize the firm’s past and current carbon footprint. With its 2020 donation to Cool Effect, a nonprofit organization working to reduce carbon pollution worldwide, the firm successfully offset its carbon footprint dating back to its launch in 2003. Founded in 1998, Cool Effect is a globally recognized non-profit platform that works with corporations, organizations and individuals to reduce carbon pollution.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) occurs naturally in the Earth's atmosphere, but people and companies significantly increase these levels by consuming electricity, utilizing certain forms of transportation, manufacturing products and participating in deforestation. With a higher density than dry air, CO2 acts like a greenhouse around the earth, warming the planet’s surface. As these carbon levels rise, the earth experiences substantial climate changes. Cool Effect works to reverse these negative consequences one carbon footprint at a time.
Faber Daeufer & Itrato proudly announces the promotion of Gina Wu to Counsel where she will be taking a project management and/or supervisory role in various large-scale transactional projects for clients. Wu’s recent accomplishments include supporting one of the firm’s international clients on R&D activities globally, which includes putting clinical trial agreements and service agreements in place to cover several investigational products and trials in various phases – ranging from a single U.S. site Phase 1 study to a Phase 3 multicenter study with over 120 sites globally. Her recent work also includes an increasing number of manufacturing and supply chain related agreements.
Faber Daeufer & Itrato proudly announces the promotion of Lily Vakili to Principal. Vakili advises clients in the practice areas of Industry Collaborations, Licensing and Supply Chain Documentation. Recent transactions include representation of a large investor syndicate in the negotiation of a clinical development and manufacturing agreement for an exclusively in-licensed respiratory disease drug product and advising a Boston-based subsidiary of a large international biopharmaceutical company in CMC-related documentation for the development of a pipeline of cancer immunotherapies.
As Faber Daeufer & Itrato’s first two-year Equal Justice Works (EJW) fellowship comes to an end, recipient Jen Rasay joined the firm’s latest quarterly meeting to share some of the amazing successes achieved during her project. Working with the National Center for Law and Economic Justice (NCLEJ) in New York City, Rasay’s efforts challenged work requirements that impede access to public Medicaid benefits through advocacy, impact litigation and community-based organizing.
Faber Daeufer & Itrato recently announced the establishment of the firm’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee (“EDIC”) and EDIC Council. With the support and participation of senior management of the firm, the EDIC’s mission is to develop, issue and implement meaningful and sustainable equity, diversity and inclusion policies and business practices within the firm.
The EDIC Council consists of the EDIC chairperson, Principal Lily Vakili, Managing Principal Joe Faber, and Principal Ken Itrato, along with the chairs of three subcommittees: the Black Civil Rights Employee Education Subcommittee, Women’s Initiative Subcommittee, and Educational and Cultural Events Programming Subcommittee.
Faber Daeufer & Itrato recently held its 2020 Day of Service by revisiting a worthwhile cause serving the urgent needs of the most vulnerable people and places across the globe. The risks and necessary precautions of COVID-19 placed some limits on the firm’s Philanthropy Committee as they searched for this year’s activity, but they found the perfect fit with an initiative that Faber supported for a previous day of service.
Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT) is an international organization using open mapping to further humanitarian actions and community development. Working with volunteers worldwide, the team creates and provides map data that reduces safety risks, transforms disaster management, and furthers Sustainable Development Goals.
Though the professionals of Faber Daeufer & Itrato are not able to gather for their annual holiday season dinners, they have found a way to celebrate together – even while apart. This year, the firm will partake in some delicious socially distanced dining, while giving back to businesses and communities hit hard by the pandemic. Each firm employee received a gift certificate to a minority-owned restaurant located within a minority neighborhood. While the principals hope that every employee will use the gift certificates to partake in some amazing meals, the purchases themselves provide an avenue for supporting small minority-owned businesses impacted by COVID-19.
Faber announces the establishment of an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee (“EDIC”) and EDIC Council. With the support and participation of senior management of the firm, the EDIC’s mission is to develop, issue and implement meaningful and sustainable equity, diversity and inclusion policies and business practices within the firm. The EDIC is composed of three subcommittees: (i) a Black Civil Rights Employee Education Subcommittee, (ii) a Women’s Initiative Subcommittee and (iii) an Educational and Cultural Events Programming Subcommittee. The EDIC Council consists of the EDIC chairperson, Senior Counsel, Lily Vakili, Managing Principal, Joe Faber, Principal, Ken Itrato and the chairs of each subcommittee, Kori Kaufman, Haritha Ambros and Heather Centauro.
Faber Daeufer & Itrato congratulates Concerto Biosciences on winning the third Launch@LabShares competition, an innovative contest through LabShares Newton that awards an early-stage startup with a year of free research space. Faber co-sponsored the competition with DTWard PC, a biotech intellectual property law firm, and Safety Partners, an EHS and regulations guidance firm.“There were several strong applicants,” stated LabShares in their official announcement, “so the choice was a difficult one, and we are proud to be adding Concerto to our roster of member companies.”
Faber Daeufer & Itrato PC welcomes Katisha Brown as a new member of the firm’s contracts specialist team. “Like most of our team, Katisha brings extensive in-house experience in day-to-day R&D contracting for large and small biopharma companies,” said Linda DeGraw, Associate Director of Contracts Specialists at Faber. “She will be a terrific addition to our contracts specialist team, who seek to help the firm’s clients with a careful yet pragmatic perspective.”
Brown has helped draft, negotiate and administer a wide range of template-based agreements in support of biopharmaceutical R&D operations. Prior to her arrival at Faber, Brown served as a Senior Contracts Manager with Kintai Therapeutics, Inc. and an Associate Contract Manager at Momenta Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Faber recently announced Madeline Middlebrooks as the recipient of their second two-year Faber Fellowship, which will begin in Fall 2020. A recent graduate of Sturm College of Law, University of Denver, Middlebrooks will implement a multi-dimensional legal and policy strategy to address the lead contamination water crisis in St. Louis Public Schools.
Following the success of their first fellowship with Jen Rasay, Faber decided to once again partner with Equal Justice Works (EJW) to provide this valuable opportunity. With a dedicated commitment to assisting new lawyers in their pursuit of equal justice, the EJW fellowship program is an innovative initiative that removes the financial barriers that often keep attorneys from pursuing public service careers. Having supported over 1700 attorneys with funding, training, and guidance to pursue their public interest dreams, EJW has established itself as the nation's largest provider of post-graduate legal fellowships.
Faber Daeufer & Itrato recently presented the second in a series of webinars discussing how COVID-19 is influencing drug development contracting strategies. Managing Principal Joe Faber opened the webinar with an overview of the topics to be covered. “Today’s focus is on some of the strategic choices drug development companies should make about their business relationships with CROs, clinical trial sites, and with other participants in the clinical trial ecosystem - all in order to deal with a sponsor’s goals and reacting to the disruptions caused by the pandemic around the suspension of enrollment, the continuing of studies and /or prompt relaunch or restart of studies.”
Gina Wu was the first to present. A member of the clinical development contracting team, Wu supports Faber’s clients sponsoring more complex global clinical studies. She explained that, while force majeure clauses had not generally been seen as a major issue before COVID, they are now popping up in agreements and being more heavily negotiated.
Faber Daeufer & Itrato recently launched its COVID-19 webinar series with the first in a series of informative presentations. Managing Principal Joe Faber began the webinar with a brief description of the firm’s goals in providing this information. “We recognize that drafting and negotiating contracts is just a part of the process for building or restructuring a business relationship, so lawyering at its best must be about counseling,” said Faber. “Particularly with the novel challenges presented by COVID-19, we may not have answers to every question, but we support our clients and their work to address unmet medical needs with our collective knowledge and experience and with our best judgement.”
He explained that the first webinar would look at some of the strategic choices that drug development companies should make about their business relationships with manufacturers, either at the RFP stage or later when a supply chain is already in place. “We’ll explore some of the key issues that arise when considering the portability of elements of the supply chain and some of the key issues that arise when considering the redundancy of elements within the supply chain.”
For the fifth consecutive year, Faber Daeufer & Itrato is partnering with deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum as a Corporate Patron supporting the museum and New-England based artists. deCordova provides a beautiful showcase for contemporary art with over 3,400 works in its collection and more than 60 sculptures in its 30-acre park.
Visitors and patrons of the museum have various options for viewing their unique art experiences, from the outdoor sculptures in the Sculpture Park to the contemporary pieces within the museum. Sculpture park exhibits are updated annually so visitors can experience something new each year. Indoor exhibitions change with the seasons, giving artists several opportunities to showcase their pieces.
On December 10, 2019, Joe Faber led a discussion around critical financing, licensing, and transactional challenges facing biotech start-ups as part of LabShares Newton’s “Lunch@LabShares” speaker series.
LabShares Newton is a turnkey, state-of-the-art lab and office space for life-science startups, located in Newton, Massachusetts. Fully permitted and professionally maintained, this innovative program offers a variety of support services and amenities to early-stage research companies at an affordable cost. Initially launching in October 2018, the highly coveted space opened at near capacity before recently expanding to accommodate up to 30 companies.
The average American emits 16.6 tonnes of CO₂ per year, but Faber Daeufer & Itrato is neutralizing its carbon footprint by supporting an innovative organization working to reduce these planet-warming emissions across the globe. Cool Effect is a nonprofit organization on a mission to reduce the carbon pollution that causes climate change. From wind energy to clean burning cookstoves, their initiatives make it easy for individuals and corporations to offset their carbon pollution and improve the lives of people around the world.
Faber Daeufer & Itrato proudly announces that the firm has assisted five of the innovative startups on the FireceBiotech 2019 “Fierce 15” list with their transactional representation needs.
Faber staff members recently spent a day of service empowering young adults to take charge of their lives by taking charge of a business. MoreThan Words is a nonprofit social enterprise that serves youth aged 15 to 24 who are in the foster care system, court-involved, homeless, or out of school. Through their bookselling enterprise, participants manage a retail business while also learning valuable life skills and gaining critical work experience.
LabShares Newton, a Faber sponsored biotech lab incubator, recently announced Savran Technologies as the winner of the first Launch@LabShares competition. “We are thrilled to be able to welcome Savran Technologies as a member of the LabShares community,” said Jeff Behrens, co-founder and CEO of LabShares Newton. “As our tenth member and first winner of our Launch@LabShares award, Savran was selected based on their exciting microfluidic technology, which focuses on whole cell isolation for both prenatal and oncology diagnostics.” Other finalists included Excelsior Genomics, an early stage biotech company focused on gene editing.
Faber Daeufer & Itrato principal Joe Faber recently delivered a guest lecture to about 40 graduate students in the Biomedical Engineering Seminar Series (HST 590) that is part of the Harvard-MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology.
The HST Program is a unique collaboration that brings together Harvard Medical School, Harvard University, Harvard-affiliated teaching hospitals, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and local research centers to integrate science, medicine, and engineering to solve problems in human health, and is particularly appropriate for students who are planning multidisciplinary research careers in academic medicine.
The 15th annual Bio-Ball was recently held to benefit the athletes of Special Olympics Massachusetts. Athletes, volunteers, and bio-tech industry teams gathered in Cambridge, MA for a day of fun and fundraising. Continuing a decade-long tradition of giving back to the community, Faber served as a lead sponsor for the event.
Aspiring to the vanguard of legal technology, Faber Daeufer & Itrato PC has strengthened its capabilities further by adding two new members to its information technology department. “Putting the best-available computing resources in the hands of our employees has been a priority for firm management since the day I arrived,” said David Schrag, Senior Director of Information Technology. “Expanding the department will allow us to serve our clients better and faster while continuing to focus on core functions such as information security and high availability.”
With a continuing commitment to providing excellent counsel to emerging life sciences and technology clients, Faber Daeufer & Itrato PC is welcoming Haritha Ambros to its team of venture finance lawyers. “Haritha is a strong associate and we’re excited about the experience and perspectives she’ll add to our group,” says Faber principal Kurt Machemer. “She will be assisting clients on variety of venture finance and corporate organizational and transactional matters, and counseling clients on general governance.”
Affordable workspace can be difficult for biotechnology and life science startups to secure. But thanks to a generous co-sponsorship by Faber Daefuer & Itrato, one emerging company will receive a year’s worth of free access to an innovative workspace.
LabShares Newton has developed a state-of-the-art facility that is fully permitted and professionally maintained, offering a variety of support services and amenities to early-stage research companies at an affordable cost. Initially launching in October 2018, the coveted LabShares space opened at near capacity. In an effort to provide even greater assistance, they recently expanded the facility to accommodate up to 30 companies.
Faber Daeufer & Itrato principal Greg Ikonen recently shared his expertise as a speaker at the 2018 Licensing Executives Society (LES) conference, discussing the diverse perspectives that parties bring to technology license deals. “I was one of three speakers with substantial experience doing deals in the real world between larger and smaller partners,” Greg explained. “We talked about negotiation goals and strategies from the perspective of big, medium, and small parties, and shared some useful war stories.”
Faber staff members recently got their hands dirty when they donated their time and efforts to helping feed individuals in need throughout Greater Boston and Eastern Massachusetts. Gaining Ground is an organization that grows organic produce and distributes it for hunger relief. With help from volunteers of all ages and abilities, Gaining Ground’s produce goes straight from the farm to homeless shelters, food pantries, and various local meal programs.
Clinical trial professionals and in-house counsel from many emerging drug development companies in the Bay Area received valuable advice when they attended a seminar on “Optimizing Clinical Trial Agreements for Effective Trial Management” on May 9, 2018, sponsored by Faber Daeufer & Itrato PC and hosted by the California Life Sciences Association (CLSA). The half-day event in South San Francisco, designed to assist biotech professionals efficiently manage the clinical trial process and avoid common challenges, provided a rare opportunity for skilled advice and counsel, as well as highly useful peer involvement and information sharing.
Furthering efforts to expand its clinical trial agreement capabilities, Faber Daeufer & Itrato PC welcomed the addition of two new team members, each with extensive domestic and global clinical trial experience. Nirosha Sithirapathy and M. (Max) Masaya Seltzer recently joined the talented group of Faber lawyers, bringing highly skilled industry-side knowledge to the firm’s pharma, life science and emerging technologies clients.
“The firm is hiring and training more lawyers and contract specialists to support our clients’ clinical trial contracting needs for large, complex, multi-center, global clinical studies,” explained firm principal Sumy Daeufer. “Both Max and Nirosha have in-house legal experience directly relevant to clinical trial contracting. Max brings many years of experience handling clinical trial and other human research related contracts for the NYU School of Medicine, one of the premier institutions in the United States. Nirosha, who is based in the UK, brings European clinical contracting experience from her work with several contract research organizations.”
Faber staff members are consistently looking for worthy causes that need hands-on volunteers to achieve their philanthropic goals. So, when Patricia Wolfe saw a feature story on the not-for-profit organization Wine To Water, she wasted no time bringing the new service idea to the firm.
“My husband and I were having dinner at a restaurant and there was a video on the television monitor about Wine To Water and how they were constructing clean water systems in South America out of clay,” explained Wolfe. “I couldn’t really hear the report, but I looked into the organization later. At Faber, we try to do two or three days of philanthropic service each year. I found out that Wine To Water provides tiny, portable water filters to people in need and they look for companies to sponsor their builds.”
The WAVE/Pfizer Collaboration
The
Background
In 2015, WAVE Life Sciences was a small
biotech company seeking its first big research and development collaboration deal.
It had developed a novel technology platform for the discovery and development
of new oligonucleotide therapeutics for a wide range of diseases, and was
advancing lead candidates in several of its key therapeutic areas. WAVE had identified
a promising collaboration opportunity: a multi-program, option-based drug
discovery, development and commercialization deal with Pfizer. This deal would combine
WAVE’s proprietary oligonucleotide platform with Pfizer’s liver targeting
technology, and leverage Pfizer’s drug development and marketing expertise.
Pfizer would provide R&D funding, and would have options to acquire exclusive
worldwide license rights to therapeutics for several liver-related disorders.
We get it. Our clients’ days are filled with pharmacokinetic testing, enrolling global clinical trials and pursuing financing and strategic transactions. Email encryption and Transport Layer Security (TLS) probably don’t rank at the top of their agendas. Faber Daeufer & Itrato’s team of lawyers and contracts specialists are well-known for providing our clients an extraordinary approach to counseling on all of the contracts and transactions that support scientific development and propel growth. But more recently, as we’ve made substantial investments in improving our own cybersecurity, we’ve become proactive in helping our clients address cybersecurity threats when we recognize that their security measures should be improved.
Focus Is on Real World Dynamics
Mark J. Cooper, Of Counsel with Faber Daeufer & Itrato, recently co-taught the “Contract Basics” segment of BIO’s Business Development Fundamentals course, held during the trade association’s June 17-19 conference in San Diego. He collaborated with Pauline Jen Ryan, of Red Sky Partners, on the four-hour workshop, which offered real world perspectives on how to structure and negotiate life science business deals.
Extraordinary Team of Seasoned In-House Lawyers Targets Complex Pharma Collaborations
Mark J. Cooper has joined Faber’s New York office, further expanding the firm’s extraordinary team of senior lawyers focused on complex licensing and collaboration agreements for the life sciences. He recently served as Vice President and Assistant General Counsel for Pfizer’s Business Transactions Group.
“We now have five very senior lawyers leading our team that helps clients structure and negotiate the most sophisticated technology licensing and R&D collaborations with Big Pharma,” says principal Joe Faber. “Even compared with mega law firms, this represents a rare assemblage of top talent with this focus. And, like Mark, each of the other senior lawyers in this practice has experience leading in-house legal departments in the industry or, in some cases, serving as CEO or CBO of emerging biotechnology companies.”
This past fall, Faber launched a major initiative to build capability in the San Francisco market, opening a new office and hiring senior talent. “Given the firm’s focus on the life sciences industry, a lot of our clients are located in California, and we see significant growth opportunities,” explains Greg Ikonen, who recently joined the firm and is leading its Bay Area office.
In fall 2016, Robert A. Aboud, a principal with Faber Daeufer & Itrato who leads the firm’s Philadelphia office, spoke about the unique traits and challenges of gene therapy and cell-based therapy deals at CBI’s Life Sciences Summit on M&A and Strategic Alliances in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
In “Gene Therapy Deals: Case Studies and Lessons Learned,” Rob shared insights and strategies for addressing the complex issues associated with such deals in order to drive commercialization while capturing adequate revenue from the intellectual property. In particular, he examined the legal and business issues surrounding what he termed the “patchwork IP” of key program assets throughout the deal’s life cycle. He also highlighted special considerations related to the “blurry line” between the IP for platform technology and the actual therapeutic product. And he discussed the challenges for ensuring consistent manufacturing supply and clinical trial support without undue reliance upon, and financial obligations to, university investigators, tech transfer offices and to third party IP holders.
During 2016, Faber further strengthened its professional lineup in key disciplines...
Faber has been a geographically dispersed firm since inception, taking advantage of cloud technologies such as secure online backup.
On September 27, 2015, Faber held its first annual firm-wide Day of Service, partnering with the Boston Cares Bed Project.
Working from anywhere in the world and under any conditions are two critical factors in providing great service to a global client base.
Faber is expanding once again to accommodate growth. Starting with six employees about twelve years ago, the firm has grown to over 30.