MORRISTOWN, N.J.—Porzio, Bromberg & Newman P.C. opened a new Washington, D.C. office to support the continuing growth of life sciences and intellectual property (IP) practice.
The new office will be led by Kevin Bell, Scott Chambers and Richard Oparil, intellectual property lawyers who are joining the firm from Squire Patton Boggs, with Porzio principal Timothy Ayers. They will be supported by others from Squire Patton Boggs who are joining Bell, Chambers and Oparil, for a total of at least 12 lawyers and professionals.
“The increasing importance of the life sciences industry, combined with heightened regulatory oversight in this and other industries have combined to put Washington, D.C. at the crossroads of business today," said D. Jeffrey Campbell, principal and managing partner of Porzio, Bromberg & Newman. “As a law firm with deep roots in life sciences and intellectual property, as well as government affairs, education, financial services, and manufacturing, among other industries, the opening of this office is the catalyst for an exciting new chapter for Porzio, Bromberg & Newman."
Bell, Chambers, Oparil will be joined in the new D.C. office by Timothy Ayers, a principal with Porzio. Ayers counsels pharmaceutical, medical device and biotechnology companies on a range of compliance-related issues.
Porzio’s Washington presence includes subsidiary Porzio Life Sciences, which was established to help companies in the life sciences industry improve the productivity and efficiency of their sales and marketing programs while maintaining compliance with complex federal and state regulations. Earlier this year, Porzio Life Sciences unveiled the International Life Sciences Transparency Database. Created in conjunction with Europe-based Aubyn Life Sciences, the database contains in-depth information on laws, codes and pending legislation related to sales and marketing practices and interactions between life sciences companies and healthcare providers outside the United States. In July, Porzio Life Sciences announced the development of PorzioGST, a global, state-of-the-art spend transparency solution. Ayers, who is relocating to the Washington office, is also a vice president of Porzio Life Sciences.
Bell handles matters relating to complex patent litigation for numerous domestic and multi-national clients involving large intellectual property portfolios and multiple foreign jurisdictions. He has been active in multi-district litigation and represents companies in a broad range of technologies that include chemical, biotech, pharmaceutical, medical device, dietary supplement, software, semi-conductor and computer science-related matters before federal courts throughout the country, the ITC, the appellate court system and various alternative dispute resolution forums.
Chambers served as an associate solicitor for the USPTO, where he defended the USPTO’s patentability determinations and statutory interpretation before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and district court. He has also drafted Examination Guidelines for the Examining Corps of the USPTO and congressional testimony for the agency regarding biotechnology and patents. Highly recognized and honored for his work in the field of patents, Chambers has served as a frequent speaker on behalf of the USPTO at industry events involving the American Bar Association, the American Intellectual Property Law Association, the Intellectual Property Owners Association and the Biotechnology Industry Organization. He is also an adjunct faculty member at Georgetown University Law School, Catholic University Law School and George Washington Law School, where he teaches classes on international intellectual property law and advanced courses in patent law.
Oparil has been actively engaged in litigating complex federal cases throughout the United States for more than 25 years. He helps biotechnology, defense, financial services, software and other clients in patent infringement, trade regulation and complex business litigation at the trial and appellate levels. Having tried cases in courts and before administrative bodies, and having done extensive appellate work, Oparil has also represented clients in high-profile investigations conducted by the Department of Justice, independent counsels and Congress.