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  • InsideTrack
  • January 06, 2016

    Lawyers: Essential to the Growth of Biotechnology – Find Out More at the 2016 Biotech and the Law Conference

    The legal profession is central to the growth of the biotech industry, and lawyers are needed. To bring together lawyers, scientists and leaders of the biotech field, the State Bar of Wisconsin PINNACLE is hosting the inaugural 2016 Biotech and the Law Global Conference and Expo in May.
    Wisconsin's Bioscience Industry Economic Impact infographic

    Source: “Energizing Wisconsin’s Economy: 2015 Wisconsin Bioscience Economic Development Report,” BioForward Inc. Much of the information in this report is based on 2013 data.

    Click image to view larger version.

    Jan. 6, 2016 – The biotech industry is a booming source of cutting-edge innovations involving health care, agriculture, and the environment. Wisconsin is a hub for biotechnology – and lawyers play an important role in bringing these innovations to the world.

    This first-ever Biotech and the Law 2016 Global Conference & Expo is May 5-7, 2016, in Madison at the Monona Terrace Conference Center and other sites.

    Not the typical State Bar of Wisconsin PINNACLE® event, the conference’s multidisciplinary approach will connect state, national, and international players in law, science, business, and government to network and discuss issues, obstacles, and opportunities in the biotech industry.

    Linking Science, Business, and Law

    The Biotech and the Law Conference connects leaders in biotechnology – scientists, industry managers, and lawyers – to make strategic alliances for the future in the dynamic health care, environmental science, and agriculture sectors.

    Presenters from across the United States and numerous other countries, including the Netherlands, Australia, and England, will offer perspectives on biotechnology. Moderated discussions with key actors in the health care, environmental, and agriculture sectors will focus on the challenges and opportunities of doing business globally, and there will be hands-on experiences and excursions to nearby biotech laboratories.

    This conference will link science, business, and the law. Participants will spend time with each other to truly understand the opportunities and challenges scientists face as research begins, how business people turn the research results into useful products, and the role of the law and lawyers at each stage.

    Biotech and Lawyers

    Biotech is becoming increasingly important to the American and global economies. The biotech arena is populated by not only scientists but also entrepreneurs, inventors, marketers, writers, government officials, and lawyers.

    “Success in biotech involves the willingness to be flexible, to use your skills in different ways, and to have imagination,” says James Casey, co-chair of the conference, who is also director of the Office of Sponsored Programs at American University in Washington, D.C., and president of the State Bar of Wisconsin Nonresident Lawyers Division.

    “There’s a lot of opportunity in biotech, not just for the scientists that conduct bench research, but for lawyers and nonscientists too.”

    Lawyers who choose to work in the biotech arena often have a profound effect on laws touching on topics such as IP and patents, health care, bioethics, and regulatory affairs. Furthermore, there are plenty of entry points along the way so that a new or even seasoned lawyer need not go back to school for an advanced degree in genetics or biotechnology.

    “It’s a mistake to think that the only attorneys who can be involved in the biotech boom are those with Ph.D.s in biotechnology,” says Jean Baker, who specializes in biotechnology and is a partner at Quarles & Brady, Milwaukee. “There’s much of this business that is well served by attorneys with skills in licensing, litigation, immigration law, and corporate law.”

    And lawyers are needed to help bioscience companies navigate the complex legal issues specific to the life science industry including startup formation, patents and trademarks, equity raises, debt financing, and regulatory, employment, and litigation issues.

    Attorney Bill Adolfsen of Andrus Intellectual Property Law LLP entered the biotech arena after completing a Ph.D. in molecular biology from M.I.T. Adolfsen recommends biotech patent litigation as one avenue to those interested in the field – especially for those lawyers who don’t have a science degree.

    “I do think there’s a lot of opportunity in biotech law even for people who don’t have technical backgrounds,” Adolfsen said.

    The Biotech and the Law Conference will also benefit business attorneys with an expertise in developing funding or structuring deals, regulatory attorneys, employment attorneys, and other attorneys who are interested in learning about the biotechnology industry and expanding their practices areas.

    Lawyers provide a linking thread through government, industry, and university efforts. With its explosive growth in university research and technology - resulting in the development of myriad new businesses - Wisconsin is a biotech hub, and is representative of what is going on nationally. Approximately 1,600 biotech companies are based in 70 of 72 Wisconsin counties, with Milwaukee and Dane counties as major hubs of activity, employing about 36,000 workers. As major research and development continues, Wisconsin will reap the benefits.

    Learn more at biotechandthelaw.org.


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