The Patent 1000 focuses exclusively on patent practice and has firmly established itself as the definitive 'go-to' resource for those seeking world-class legal patent expertise.
Highly recommended - Individuals: prosecution
A close ally to life sciences and medical device companies, White & Case dispenses worldly wise advice encompassing all phases of the patent lifecycle. Its team in Boston has outstanding international credentials; Anita Varma is USPTO and European Patent Office qualified, while Charles Larsen is a US patent attorney and English solicitor. Their ability to advise on a transatlantic – and worldwide – basis is second to none. Varma chairs the global IP group and is a gifted strategic counsellor with a sophisticated knowledge of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Larsen focuses on medical technology and demonstrates impressive versatility in advising on portfolio development, deals and disputes.
Anita Varma is chair of White & Case’s global IP practice group. She is based in the firm’s Boston office, with a dual practice in London. She is qualified to practise before the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the European Patent Office (EPO).
Ms Varma provides strategic patent counselling to life sciences industry companies, guiding them through every stage of a product’s lifecycle. She works with clients in obtaining enforceable claims and supporting them in post-grant proceedings, as well as in developing and executing both offensive and defensive patent strategies. She also conducts strategic review of patent portfolios to identify strengths and weaknesses, and opportunities to minimise threats and maximise revenue.
As part of this strategic counselling, Ms Varma regularly advises on patentability, validity and freedom-to-operate issues, provides pre-litigation assessments and opinions regarding patentability, conducts IP due diligence for strategic transactions, and advises on listing and delisting matters in the US Food and Drug Administration’s Orange Book.
Clients also benefit from Ms Varma’s experience in navigating biosimilar litigation strategies. She has skilled expertise among diverse life sciences subjects, including immunology, antibody therapeutics, RNA interference therapeutics, small molecules, gene therapy, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (DNA sequences), ocular products, biophotonics, messenger RNA therapeutics, protein therapeutics and protein traps.
Ms Varma is named one of the top lawyers in the United States for patent prosecution matters (Legal 500), and is viewed by competitors as “an extremely skilled attorney with both legal and business smarts” (LMG Life Sciences). Clients appreciate her “’business savvy’ approach and her familiarity with the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries” and note that “the experience [of working with Anita] has been very positive” (independent survey by Chambers and Partners).
White & Case is a global law firm with a longstanding presence in the markets that matter today. The firm’s on-the-ground experience, cross-border integration and depth of local, US and English-qualified lawyers help clients work with confidence in any one market or across many. White & Case guides clients through difficult issues, bringing its insight and judgment to each situation. The firm’s innovative approaches create original solutions to clients’ most complex domestic and multi-jurisdictional deals and disputes.
The firm’s main areas of practice are outlined below.
Antitrust
Clients throughout the world seek the advice of White & Case antitrust lawyers. They count on the firm’s extensive experience in litigation against governmental authorities or private parties, counselling on delicate questions and comprehensive worldwide coverage of merger control regimes.
Banking
Since White & Case’s founding, banking has been at the core of the firm’s practice. Today, the firm represents major banks worldwide, including many of the largest. The firm provides guidance related to acquisition finance, commercial lending, project finance, bankruptcy and debt restructurings, and regulatory advice.
Capital markets
White & Case has a formidable reputation in the field of international securities and finance. Clients benefit from the firm’s capabilities in equity and debt offerings, sovereign issues, high-yield debt, securitisations, derivatives, investment funds and regulatory and broker-dealer matters.
Commercial litigation
Clients entrust White & Case with their ‘must-win’ matters – disputes in which huge sums, invaluable patents and brands, and even out-and-out company survival are at stake. The firm has won major trials and appeals for clients in an array of industries, including financial services, pharmaceuticals, technology, sports, media and entertainment, and consumer products.
Financial restructuring and insolvency
White & Case is a recognised leader in complex cross-border insolvencies and workouts. The firm represents global clients in all aspects of restructurings, workouts and insolvency matters, including both transactional and litigation matters.
Intellectual property
White & Case was one of the first full-service firms to develop an IP practice. Its lawyers protect and defend clients’ innovations, creative works and brands around the world, offering advice related to patents, copyright and designs, IP audits and due diligence, licensing and merchandising, sourcing and technology, and privacy and data protection.
International arbitration
White & Case is the only leading global law firm with large and long-established arbitration teams in New York, Washington DC, London, Paris, Geneva, Singapore and Stockholm, along with significant strength in other key cities, including Frankfurt, Moscow, Miami, Seoul, Hong Kong and Sydney.
Mergers and acquisitions
White & Case is among the world’s leading law firms in mergers and acquisitions. The firm advises corporations, financial institutions and private equity firms across a variety of industries, in all manner of complex cross-border and domestic M&A transactions. Its M&A lawyers are leading practitioners in all major jurisdictions around the world.
Private equity
White & Case’s financial sponsor practice has a truly global reach, with market-leading service offerings in New York, London and Hong Kong, as well as fully integrated, full-service private equity practices across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. White & Case represents numerous preeminent large-cap and mid-market sponsors, as well as their portfolio companies, in their domestic and cross-border transactions.
Real estate
White & Case is highly regarded for its skill in helping clients complete complex real estate financings and its in-depth experience with legal matters relating to real estate investment funds. The group handles acquisitions and dispositions, joint ventures, portfolio sales and securitisation, financings and sales/leasebacks.
Tax
White & Case’s tax lawyers and advisers are strategically located in financial centres and government capitals worldwide to provide timely, effective advice on evolving tax law and policies. The practice has provided clients with innovative, practical approaches to minimise tax liabilities on issues ranging from mergers and acquisitions to financings and investment fund transactions.
Trade
White & Case helps clients manage the risks and maximise the opportunities associated with the increasing regulation of international trade in goods and services. The firm has an interdisciplinary, full-service global trade practice that is one of the world’s largest and most active in trade remedies and in the law of the World Trade Organisation.
White collar
White & Case helps clients deal with government investigations and enforcement matters. In addition to years of front-line prosecutorial experience, the firm has substantial experience defending clients through all phases of investigations, as well as criminal and civil enforcement proceedings. Clients include large corporations, as well as individuals prominent in business and political affairs.