Foley Welcomes Patent Team Led by Prominent Attorneys Jerry Swiss and Lorna Tanner to Firm
Growing Scope of Client Needs and Strong Demand Prompt Return to Foley’s National Platform.
Foley announced today that Gerald F. Swiss and Lorna L. Tanner have returned to the firm as partners in the Silicon Valley office working with the Intellectual Property Department in the Chemical, Biotechnology & Pharmaceutical Practice. Swiss and Tanner, who had previously left the firm to form Swiss Tanner, P.C., are, along with others from Swiss Tanner P.C., joining Foley.
“We are rejoining Foley to be able to offer our clients the broader scope of legal services offered by Foley as a national firm, including the litigation and corporate legal services which complement our practice and which our clients value,” said Jerry Swiss, senior partner at Swiss Tanner, P.C. “Of all available platforms, Foley’s practice advantages, including the broad scope of expertise, the reputation for strong client service and the deep technical ability, made returning to Foley an easy choice as our clients matured and put increasing demands on us.”
Swiss and Tanner represent such companies as Gilead Sciences, Elan Pharmaceuticals, Portola Pharmaceuticals, Kythera Biopharmaceuticals, Global Fresh Foods, DEMERx, Inc. and Telik, Inc., among others. With the addition of Swiss and Tanner, the Foley Silicon Valley office will have added five attorneys to date in 2010.
Swiss focuses his practice on strategic counseling, including implementation of intellectual property strategy for clients in the biopharmaceutical, life science and medical device arenas. He has nearly 30 years of experience with an emphasis in patent prosecution and patent counseling in the life sciences and medical device arena.
“You may never know the best patent attorney among the rest, but Jerry Swiss stands above others,” said Deborah C. Mash, PhD and chief scientific officer with DEMERx, Inc. “Jerry Swiss applies his intelligence, keen logic and analytical and writing skills to take an invention to the top.”
Tanner focuses her practice on implementing and maintaining patent strategy for clients in the pharmaceutical, life science and medical device fields. Her experience includes counseling and patent preparation and prosecution regarding pharmaceuticals, drug delivery techniques and biologics.
“We are pleased to have Jerry and Lorna back with us and also welcome their colleagues to the firm,” said Paul Stewart, managing partner of Foley’s Silicon Valley office. “The addition of the Swiss Tanner group continues the growth of our Silicon Valley office and complements our earlier addition in 2010 of corporate financing/private equity attorneys Jim Chapman and Steve Clinton. We intend to continue our growth in the intellectual property and corporate practice areas in our Palo Alto office.”
“Jerry and Lorna bring decades of IP experience to bear counseling clients in a wide variety of specialty areas, including patent prosecution directed to the life sciences industry, including pharmaceuticals, medical devices and biologics,” said Stephen Maebius, chair of Foley’s Intellectual Property Department. “Our broad national platform will allow Jerry, Lorna and their team to offer their clients more support and a broader array of legal services.”
“Intellectual property is at the core of our business and we work strategically with our external counsel to build the best portfolio, said Keith Klein, general counsel with Kythera Biopharmaceuticals. “Jerry is an integral member of our IP team and we look forward to having him rejoin Foley where we can continue to access his valuable expertise to continually strengthen our IP positions.”
Comprised of nearly 240 attorneys, Foley’s Intellectual Property practice is a recognized leader in IP legal services. For the eighth consecutive year, Foley was ranked by IP Today as one of the top 10 firms for the number of patents issued and by IP Law & Business magazine as one of the top patent litigation firms in the nation. These rankings make Foley the only general practice firm to appear in the top 10 for both patent litigation and patent procurement.
In a recent survey of Fortune 1000 corporate counsel*, Foley ranked first for superior client service and value. We also were named to the InformationWeek 500 list for four consecutive years for our client-focused technology. With nearly 1,000 attorneys in 21 offices and more than 60 practices, Foley strives to provide high-caliber business and legal insight. Our team-based approach, proprietary client service technology, and practice depth enhance client relationships while seeing clients through their most complex legal challenges.
*The BTI Consulting Group (Wellesley, Massachusetts)
