Mintz bags top litigation team from Proskauer Rose

Star litigator moves firms with nearly a dozen attorneys | Biologic drug patent and Hatch-Waxman patent expert David Hanna also joins.

Mintz has hired an entire life sciences patent litigation team from Proskauer Rose.

Led by ex-Proskauer life sciences lead Siegmund (“Sige”) Gutman, the team also includes member David Hanna and "nearly a dozen" attorneys based in Los Angeles, Boston, and New York.

The firm did not name the rest of the new team.

“This is a very exciting time for Mintz, and adding Sige to our team elevates us to yet another level,” said Bob Bodian, managing member at Mintz.

Described by Mintz as an “accomplished patent litigator”, Sige represents life sciences clients before trial and appellate courts as well as arbitration panels. His practice focuses on developing and executing market exclusivity and freedom to operate (FTO) strategies, including patent office and FDA regulatory strategies for leading biologics, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device clients.

“Sige is regarded as one of the top life sciences patent litigators in the country, said Michael Renaud, chair of the IP Division at Mintz. “His group is one of the most complete life sciences litigation teams practising in the US today.

“Their scientific credentials and winning litigation record have earned the trust of the world’s leading life sciences companies. They are a welcome addition to Mintz as we continue to grow our nationally recognised IP practice.”

Sige’s background combines a graduate degree in molecular and cell biology and biophysical chemistry with more than 20 years of industry experience, including serving as senior patent litigation counsel for Amgen.

“Life sciences and IP are top priorities at Mintz, which makes it an ideal place for our team to thrive long term,” said Gutman. “We are excited to join Mintz’s world-class IP practice and look forward to bringing further value to clients through the firm’s multi-disciplinary life sciences platform.”

Member David Hanna focuses on biologic drug patent and Hatch-Waxman patent litigation. His biologics drug patent litigation experience includes litigating matters relating to Stelara, Avastin, and Herceptin. He has also represented both patentees and generic filers in Hatch-Waxman litigation.