California firm entices quartet of litigators from rival
Life sciences practice boosted by four-partner ‘powerhouse’ team | Attorneys have all achieved notable trial outcomes for pharma companies.
Orrick has hired patent litigators David Gindler, Gary Frischling, Lauren Drake and John Lu who join as partners from Milbank.
Gindler, who headed Milbank’s IP litigation and licensing practice, has achieved successful trial outcomes for both plaintiffs and defendants, including a $302 million verdict for breach of a research and licence 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.
Frischling has has won major patent cases for companies such as Gilead Sciences, Ferring Pharmaceuticals and St. Jude Medical. He has experience advising clients in protecting innovations in new drugs and drug delivery systems, medical devices and biotherapies.
Drake 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.
Lu 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.
Orrick has added 22 partners to its life sciences practice since 2019 in transactional, litigation and regulatory areas and advises more than 500 companies in this space.
Gindler said: “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.”
Before joining Milbank, the team practised together for many years at Irell & Manella, where Gindler served as the firm’s managing partner and Frischling as co-leader of the IP practice.
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 when our IP practice is on fire.”
The group joins an Orrick IP litigation practice that has led major matters for Sonos, Oracle, Micron and others, and an appellate team that has secured wins on life sciences cases for Gilead, Kite Pharma and Johnson & Johnson.
These hires continue the firm’s recent litigation growth in California, where this year it added first chair trial lawyer Bill Oxley, who returned to the firm in Los Angeles to team up with Meghan Kelly in New York, and tech litigator Ben Au in Santa Monica.
The additions also follow the firm’s recent addition partner Anna Aryankalayil from the Federal Trade Commission, who brings a focus on advising life sciences companies to its antitrust practice in Washington, DC.
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