Dechert has added a former Hughes Hubbard & Reed patent litigator as a partner in New York, continuing a recent string of hires in the IP arena.

Stephen S. Rabinowitz, a medical doctor who also boasts a Ph.D. in immunology in addition to his law degree, becomes the fourth IP litigation senior attorney to join the firm in the last six months.

“I had been talking to colleagues at Dechert that I've known for more than 20 years, and I was very impressed by the depth and strength of Dechert's expertise in the life sciences,” Rabinowitz said.

Rabinowitz follows two IP litigators who arrived from Simpson Thacher & Bartlett in New York and a third who came from Goodwin Procter in Boston. The firm's team represents clients in both defensive and enforcement IP litigation, including assisting companies with protecting and extracting value from their IP portfolios and handling worldwide licensing campaigns.

Stephen Rabinowitz.

Rabinowitz said his clients, which include Roche Ltd., Merck and Institut Pasteur, along with smaller entities, tend to have “interesting cutting-edge problems,” adding that “the depth of expertise in law and science that Dechert offers can sharpen focus on helping clients effectively and efficiently.”

Rabinowitz joined Hughes Hubbard in 2014 from Fried, Frank, Harris Shriver & Jacobson, alongside current Hughes Hubbard IP and technology practice group head James Dabney. They also worked together at now-defunct IP boutique Pennie & Edmonds, which dissolved in 2013, with most of its lawyers joining Jones Day.

“I very much enjoyed working with Jim Dabney, and I can only say that the reason for my move was the excellent platform that Dechert offers,” Rabinowitz said.

He has litigated a wide range of patent cases involving recombinant DNA technology, nucleic acid amplification, proteins, medical diagnostics, dietary supplements and pharmaceuticals, as well as generic drug fights under the amended Hatch-Waxman Act.

“Stephen's wide-ranging expertise combined with his unique medical experience will bring a new perspective to the team as we continue to navigate sophisticated IP issues for life sciences companies,” Jeffrey Plies, chair of Dechert's intellectual property practice group said in a statement. “Stephen is critical as we continually build our IP litigation practice that seamlessly integrates into the life sciences industry.”

The hiring surge in IP followed a springtime shrink within Dechert's corporate life sciences practice in Europe. In April, Goodwin Procter hired four Dechert partners to launch a European corporate life sciences practice, and then McDermott Will & Emery lured another four former Dechert life sciences transactional partners for its office in Frankfurt.

Dechert has also poached from Hughes Hubbard in other practices recently, bringing in the firm's former international trade chair and another partner in April.

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