What were some of your most satisfying successes of the past year, and why?

In the past year, Regeneron's law department achieved several important successes including:

• Being awarded "Best Shareholder Engagement—Large Cap" for the second consecutive year at the annual Corporate Governance Awards, hosted by Governance Intelligence (formerly Corporate Secretary). Regeneron received this recognition thanks to a strategy designed to proactively address governance concerns of proxy advisory firms and large shareholders, which contributed to a high level of shareholder support both for the Regeneron Board's nominees and the advisory proposal on executive compensation.
• Facilitating the successful acquisition of Decibel Therapeutics, Inc., the second public M&A transaction in Regeneron's history. This transaction was completed on an accelerated timeline and involved a number of complexities, including the negotiation of contingent value rights (CVRs) payable upon the achievement of development milestones. As a result, Regeneron acquired the investigational gene therapy DB-OTO designed to improve hearing in children with profound genetic deafness.
• Receiving the Patents for Humanity Award by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in the COVID-19 category. The award is given to entities that have made significant contributions to addressing the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic through innovative technologies protected by US patents or patent applications.
• Winning a unanimous victory at the U.S. Supreme Court, consistent with over a century of case law, that protects research and patient access by prohibiting patentees from claiming inventions based on function that would encompass innovations of competitors. In addition, the legal team won another significant victory for innovators in the first-ever biosimilar challenge that occurred prior to expiration of regulatory exclusivity.
• Establishing international affiliates and full legal operations in over six EU countries and Japan and built a comprehensive distribution network in other international markets. This work enabled Regeneron to independently commercialize a product outside the United States, making it a truly global company.
• Structuring and negotiating Together for Change, a 10-year initiative aimed to build the world's largest African ancestry genomics research resource and establish a grants program to support life sciences training and educational capacity at Historically Black colleges and universities.

What is your best advice for in-house lawyers trying to make an impact, with their corporate clients and beyond?