Barnes & Thornburg Expands National Complex Litigation And Life Sciences Practices With New Offices In New Jersey And Philadelphia

Barnes & Thornburg LLP is opening new offices in Northern New Jersey and in Philadelphia, its 21st and 22nd in the U.S. The new offices are anchored by well-respected and nationally recognized product liability, mass tort and life sciences litigators and counselors Michael C. Zogby, Jessica L. Brennan, and Kaitlyn E. Stone in New Jersey, and Chanda A. Miller, Molly E. Flynn, and Rebecca Trela in Philadelphia.

The New Jersey and Philadelphia offices will serve the bustling life sciences, healthcare, consumer products, global manufacturing, financial services, and sophisticated multinational companies that are resident in the corridor. In particular, both New Jersey and Philadelphia are major hubs for biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical device, diagnostic, research and development, supply chain, medical technology, financial transactions, and investment funds activity.

Barnes & Thornburg’s latest East Coast expansion follows the opening of the firm’s Boston office and significant growth over the past two years in its Washington D.C., and Delaware offices. The firm also opened its New York office in 2020, which has grown to 30 lawyers and staff, while adding life sciences-focused locations in Raleigh, Ann Arbor, and Salt Lake City in 2019.

Partners Zogby, Brennan, Miller, and Flynn, and associates Stone and Trela previously practiced and served as firm leaders in the Product Liability & Mass Tort and Health & Life Sciences groups at an Am Law 50 law firm. The group has diverse trial and litigation experience, representing global clients in complex product liability, mass tort, class actions, intellectual property, antitrust, trade secret, and cross border disputes, particularly in Japan and Europe. They also have deep experience in e-discovery matters and appear regularly in state and federal courts throughout the U.S.

“I have known and worked alongside Barnes & Thornburg litigators for almost two decades, and have always been impressed with their track record and trial reputation, and the collegial nature of the firm,” said Zogby, who will serve as partner-in-charge of the New Jersey and Philadelphia offices. “We were attracted to the sophisticated nature and rapid growth of the firm’s health and life sciences practice, which boasts more than 200 practitioners located in leading life sciences and biotech hubs across the country. The firm’s platform is ideal for continuing to serve our clients at the highest level, and we look forward to collaborating with our new partners and colleagues.”

“New Jersey is recognized as the ‘medicine chest of the world’ for its world-renowned cluster of life sciences companies, while Philadelphia has long been one of the most attractive locations in the country for manufacturing, research and development, and international companies looking to establish operations in the states,” said Andrew J. Detherage, Barnes & Thornburg’s managing partner-elect, who has been leading the firm’s strategic expansion. “Given the importance of these markets to our life sciences and corporate clients, we’re thrilled to have this new team come on board to help us establish a first-rate presence in the region.”