Goodwin Procter is continuing to add to its partner ranks, weeks after trimming its associate and staff headcount.
Four more life sciences partners from Troutman Pepper are joining the law firm, Goodwin announced Wednesday. The new hires follow a group of 14 Troutman partners who jumped to Goodwin in January.
Allison Nicklin, Alicia Palladino, Justin Platt, and Laura Umbrecht are all joining Goodwin’s life sciences practice as partners in its New York and Philadelphia offices.
Goodwin last week officially announced it would open in the City of Brotherly Love with the larger Troutman group. Other partners joining from Troutman include John Jones, the former chair of its healthcare transactions and regulatory practices; Thomas Gallagher, the ex-firmwide vice chair at Troutman; and Rachael Bushey, the former chair of its health sciences department.
Boston-founded Goodwin on Jan. 5 announced it was laying off associates, paralegals, and other professional staff across its offices. The firm cited a slowdown in legal work and mirroring cost-cutting measures taken by Big Tech clients.
The Troutman haul gives the firm the chance to grow its life sciences and healthcare business and enter a geographic market where “you have to be an insider,” said Mitchell Bloom, chair of Goodwin’s Life Sciences practice.
“It was like a complete slam dunk,” Bloom said.
Life Sciences Build
Nicklin works with public and private pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device companies in M&A, corporate governance, licensing and other strategic transactions, while Palladino has decades of experience prosecuting patents in the US and worldwide in areas of pharmaceutical sciences, nutraceuticals, among others.
Platt’s practice focuses on health sciences, capital markets, and corporate matters. Umbrecht advises public and private pharmaceutical, biotechnology, pharma services in M&A and other corporate transactions.
Life sciences is one of Goodwin’s five industry focus groups. The firm has represented clients like Moderna Inc. and MyoKardia Inc.
The total revenue for its life sciences business grew 19% last year, according to figures provided by Goodwin. The business has expanded by 29% over the last five years.
Last year, the firm represented Global Blood Therapeutics in its $4.6 billion sale to Pfizer Inc. and Biocon Ltd.’s $3.35 billion purchase of Biosimilars. It also landed among the top five law firms for deal count by principal in 2022, according to Bloomberg League Tables data.
Philadelphia is home to a thriving biotech community, anchored by some core pharmaceutical companies, said Bushey. She will serve as the co-managing partner of Goodwin’s new office in the city, which also includes 10 of the new partners from Troutman Pepper.
“The opportunity to bring that type of a platform into Philadelphia and to have this opportunity for our entire team, we felt was really powerful and something that would be great for both our existing and future clients and something that would be great for the city of Philadelphia,” Bushey said.
