Honigman has marked its debut in Boston, hiring a trio of IP partners from Womble Bond Dickinson to open an office there.
The firm – which has a well-regarded IP team noted for its work for life sciences clients – has hired patent partners Cristin Cowles, Danielle Herritt and Deborah Vernon for the launch.
Honigman’s chief executive officer and chairman, David Foltyn, said its expansion into Boston was “true indication of the firm’s health and momentum”.
He added: “Establishing a presence in this innovation hub will strengthen our ability to serve life sciences clients and expand our reach in a key strategic market.”
Boston is the firm’s ninth US office and its first new location since 2020, when it opened in Washington DC, after hiring IP partner Harold Fox from Steptoe & Johnson.
The incoming trio joined Womble Bond in 2017 from McCarter & English and specialise in assisting clients in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries.
Cowles advises clients on patent prosecution, lifecycle management, due diligence evaluations, patentability analyses, freedom-to-operate determinations, inventorship investigations and validity opinions.
Herritt has secured a number of patents listed in the FDA Orange Book and defended them in Patent Trial and Appeal Board proceedings and Federal Circuit appeals. Alongside portfolio management, she also guides clients through transactional due diligence and resolves disputes with development and clinical partners.
Meanwhile, Vernon’s practice focuses on chemical and mechanical arts, and she advises clients on patent prosecution, appeals and related intellectual property matters.
Honigman’s Boston move sees it join a string of law firms that have opened in Boston over the past few years to capitalise on its booming technology and life sciences sectors, and as its financial services market expands.
Reed Smith and Pillsbury launched there this spring, while firms including Freshfields, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, Blank Rome, Covington & Burling, Arnold & Porter, Paul Hastings and Akin have all opened offices in the city over the past few years.
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