Freshfields' Golden era begins in US with fresh hire

Freshfields' Golden era begins in US with fresh hire

Adam Golden, life sciences and intellectual property licensing expert, joins Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer as partner

The Magic Circle firms continue to make deep forays into the lucrative US legal market with Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer announcing a senior East Coast lateral movement with the hiring of Adam Golden.

Golden, a life sciences and intellectual property licensing expert, has quit Hogan Lovells to lead Freshfields' US life sciences transactions practice. He joins the firm as a Partner.

Golden was associated with Hogan Lovells for seven years as its New York corporate head, where he handled license and collaboration deals, M&A, financings and commercial transactions in the life sciences sector.

His notable high-profile deals include Novartis' $8.7 billion acquisition of AveXis and Celgene's $9 billion acquisition of Juno Therapeutics.

Freshfields is making a concerted effort to building out its US-based life sciences business. The US legal market is witnessing a spurt in activities in the life sciences sector since the start of the pandemic last year.

The life sciences sector include pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical devices, pharmaceutical distribution and healthcare which are witnessing increased demand due to global effort to combat the pandemic.

Jennifer Bethlehem, partner and global head of Freshfields' healthcare practice, said: "Adam brings a wealth of experience and skill in critical areas for our life sciences clients. His work lies at the heart of what life sciences companies are doing every day to advance their business strategies, making him a valuable resource for our clients and an important member of our team."

Golden had joined Hogan Lovells in 2014 after a long stint with the New York-based Kaye Scholer, where he served as a partner and co-chair of the firm's corporate department.

"Adam is an outstanding and well-known practitioner in the life sciences space who adds further depth to our team and will serve as a key resource for our clients at all stages of growth across the country," John Fisher, leader of Freshfields' life sciences and technology M&A practice in the US and co-founder of the firm's Silicon Valley office, said

Freshfields had become the first Magic Circle firm in 13 years in 2020 to enter the Silicon Valley ever since Clifford Chance exited the West Coast in 2007. It made a slew of lateral hires from US rivals as part of the California launch, taking on senior lawyers from Davis Polk, Latham & Watkins, Sidley Austin and Wilson Sonsini to assemble what was hailed as a dream team.

With Adam Golden's arrival, the firm expects its incredible growth in the East Coast region.