Pennie & Edmonds LLP, one of the largest and oldest full-service intellectual property law firms in the country, has announced it will open a new office in San Diego, CA later this summer – its second office in California.
Anthony Insogna, a partner in Pennie & Edmonds’ Biotechnology and Pharmaceuticals Group, will lead the San Diego office. Laurie Axford joins the Firm and the Biotechnology and Pharmaceuticals Group as a partner and will team up with Mr. Insogna to establish Pennie & Edmonds’ San Diego office. Pennie & Edmonds’ Biotechnology practice has been servicing its biotechnology clients internationally from its existing offices in New York, Palo Alto and Washington, D.C. Mr. Insogna’s relocation and the addition of Ms. Axford have enabled the firm to extend its California roots to San Diego.
“Pennie & Edmonds has an extensive world-wide client base including many significant clients in the San Diego area, an area with a substantial concentration of biotechnology companies,” said Laura A. Coruzzi, head of Pennie & Edmonds’ Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals group. “As the leading law firm in biotechnology intellectual property law, San Diego is a natural expansion for us to continue helping biotechnology companies grow.”
Pennie & Edmonds was among the first law firms to recognize the potential of biotechnology and its impact on the pharmaceutical industry, along with the importance of obtaining meaningful patent protection to support the growth of the biotechnology industry. The firm established a biotechnology practice in 1980 and was the first to assemble and train doctoral and post-doctoral graduates as patent lawyers, resulting in a group of over fifty-five professionals with graduate degrees dedicated exclusively to biotechnology intellectual property law.
Mr. Insogna is relocating from New York to spearhead the opening of the San Diego office with Ms. Axford. Mr. Insogna is regarded as one of the top lawyers in the biotechnology and pharmaceuticals field. In addition to his litigation experience, Mr. Insogna has focused on developing and implementing patent portfolio strategies for drug discovery and product-driven companies, conducting IP due diligence on mergers and acquisitions of all sizes and licensing. His extensive experience with medicinal chemistry, biotechnology and pharmaceutical disciplines enables him to offer counsel to start-up, as well as established and growing biotechnology, bio-pharmaceutical and pharmaceutical companies, particularly companies with small molecule drug programs.
Ms. Axford is a well-regarded intellectual property attorney in San Diego. She has an extensive track record of creating and managing patent portfolios for start-up companies and universities. Both her technical and legal experiences span a wide range of life-science related fields including diagnostics, therapeutics, medical devices and business methods for life-science applications.
She comes to Pennie & Edmonds from the San Diego office of Morrison & Foerster. Ms. Axford previously was a partner at Foley & Lardner, where she established that firm’s first California-based intellectual property practice. Ms. Axford is the former President, and now is an active member, of the San Diego Intellectual Property Law Association. She is also active in a number of other legal, scientific and community organizations.
“We are extremely excited that Laurie Axford has joined Pennie & Edmonds to help launch the San Diego office,” said John J. Normile, managing partner of Pennie & Edmonds. “Having Laurie join our Biotechnology Group builds upon our well-established California intellectual property practice. Pennie & Edmonds’ reputation in Biotechnology patent law is second to none – a reputation built on high quality service and dedication to our diverse array of clients.”
