(Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM)

Continuing a push to bulk up in California as well as in its life sciences practice, Goodwin Procter has added former Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich and Rosati patents and innovations partner Sabrina Poulos to its San Francisco office, the firm announced Monday. 

Her first official day at the firm is today.

"Sabrina's IP expertise and background in big molecule biology bring critical value to our emerging company and venture capital clients on the West Coast and nationally as we continue to bolster our life sciences platform and become the go-to firm for IP matters," Mitchell Bloom, chair of Goodwin's life sciences practice, said in a statement."

Poulos, who had been at Wilson Sonsini her entire legal career, focuses her practice on the IP strategies inherent to the various stages of company's life cycles, including the "creation, pre-clinical, clinical, venture, IPOs and commercialization."

"I was not unhappy at Wilson Sonsini," Poulos said of her decision to change firms. "It was a great opportunity and platform, and I have a lot of very good friends there. But what I really responded to [with Goodwin] was how they organized around industry verticals. There is a life sciences group, but it isn't organized around legal practice groups. You have an opportunity to collaborate with corporate, technology and transactions, and that for me was very compelling."

Poulos said that her clients are increasingly asking for advice around fundraising and licensing, and said that the interactions between the teams at Goodwin allows her to not only provide additional value to her clients, but gives her an opportunity to learn other elements of her clients' business as well. 

And that business, at least for Poulos, is going well. 

"I have been busier over these last four months," she said. "Deals, M&A and IPOs are still going on. In particular, I think there is a good feeling people have about life sciences companies right now, particularly around the development of a COVID-19 vaccine."

Poulos said that out of respect for her former firm, she would not comment on whether or not she felt the majority of her existing client base would be joining her in the move, and said that she was not aware of any other attorneys making the move with her. 

"This was a solo effort," she said. 

While a solo effort on her part, Goodwin's continued efforts to expand its "capital-meets-innovation" platform in California and elsewhere involves multiple players. 

The firm added former SEC attorney and Cooley blockchain practice co-chair Karen Ubell in its San Francisco office and real estate partner Alex Jacobs to its Los Angeles location earlier this month. 

While Goodwin has added some high profile partners recently, it has also, like many other firms over the last several months, trimmed its staff. The firm announced in April that it "made the difficult decision to ask a limited number of our global operations team members to leave the firm." It is unclear how deep the cuts went. 

This comes on the heels of a strong financial showing by the firm in 2019, which saw revenues climb 11% to $1.33 billion and profits per equity partner increase by 5.8% to $2.6 million. The firm is currently ranked No. 22 in the Am Law 100. 

In a statement from a Wilson Sonsini spokesperson, the firm said it thanks Sabrina for "her contributions to the firm and our clients, and wish her well."

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