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Emily I. Leonard

Partner

Palo Alto +1 650 632 4721

  • About
  • Representative Matters
  • Credentials
  • About

    Emily Leonard is the Managing Partner of Covington’s Palo Alto office and a member of the Life Sciences Transactions Practice. She specializes in life sciences-related technology transactions, including complex strategic partnering and collaboration agreements, joint ventures, licensing, and other technology transfer arrangements. Emily also advises clients on the full range of clinical and commercial agreements that span the life cycle of a drug product or medical device. She is a recognized leader in commercial life sciences transactions, ranked by Chambers USA, Legal 500 US, Northern California Super Lawyers, and was honored by The Daily Journal among its Top Women Lawyers.

    Areas of Expertise

  • Practices and Industries
  • Representative Matters
    • Astellas in a global alliance with Medivation to develop and commercialize a Phase 3 investigational drug for the treatment of prostate cancer, which involved an up-front cash payment of $110 million, up to $655 million in development and commercial milestone payments and a US co-promotion option based on profit sharing (nominated as a candidate for Alliance Deal of the Year (In Vivo Blog 2009)); and in a global licensing arrangement with Ambit to develop and commercialize a Phase 2 kinase inhibitor for acute myeloid leukemia, which involved a $40 million up-front payment, up to $350 million in pre-commercialization milestones, and a US co-promotion option based on profit sharing.
    • AstraZeneca in a strategic collaboration with Map Pharmaceuticals to develop and commercialize a Phase 3 product for the treatment of asthma, which involved upfront fees, milestones and funding commitments in excess of $900 million and a co-promotion option; and in a strategic collaboration with Abbott to develop and commercialize a fixed-dose combination therapy for cholesterol management.
    • Biosynexus in its reacquisition of rights to its lead antibody product for the treatment of staph infections in premature infants.
    • Gilead in a series of transactions with two multinational pharmaceutical companies concerning the development and commercialization of a combination antiretroviral drug, including various corporate and contractual arrangements for supply and distribution in the United States, the European Union, and the access countries.
    • Institute of OneWorld Health, a non-profit pharmaceutical company, in the negotiation of collaboration and other agreements for the advancement and commercialization of drug products for neglected diseases, particularly those that disproportionately affect developing world countries.
    • Medarex in a strategic alliance with a Japanese pharmaceutical company, involving the cross license of platform technologies consisting of transgenic and transchromosomic mouse technologies, and in connection with a number of other collaboration agreements concerning antibody products.

    • Novartis (formerly Chiron) in various transactions, including the divestiture of an epidermal delivery technology, and in the divestiture of certain patent families from its gene therapy portfolio.
    • P&G (formerly Gillette) in a worldwide licensing arrangement involving the acquisition of rights to exploit the first light-based aesthetic device to receive a 510(k) over-the-counter clearance from FDA.
    • UCB in connection with a strategic partnership pursuant to which it granted rights to Wilex AG, a German biotechnology company, with respect to a preclinical oncology portfolio, comprising two small-molecule programs and three antibody programs, and retained rights to reacquire such programs following completion of initial clinical feasibility studies.

    Areas of Expertise

  • Credentials
    Education
    • The George Washington University Law School, J.D., 1994
        • with honors
        • Law Review, Editor
        • Moot Court Board, Member
    • Catholic University of America, B.A., 1990
        • magna cum laude
    Bar Admissions
    • California
    • District of Columbia
    • New York
    Accolades
    • Silicon Valley Business Journal, "2018 Women of Influence" (2018)
    • Chambers Global, Life Sciences: Corporate/Commercial (2020-2021)
    • Chambers USA, recognized for Life Sciences: Corporate/Commercial (2007-2021)
    • Legal 500 US, Patents: Licensing (2016-2017); M&A: Commercial Deals and Contracts (2016-2017); Healthcare: Life Sciences (2013-2014, 2017); and Media, Technology & Telecoms (2013)
    • LMG Life Sciences, "Life Science Star" (2013-2019) 
    • Northern California Super Lawyers, Business/Corporate (2013-2015)
    • The Daily Journal, Top Women Lawyers (2011)
    • PLC Which Lawyer? Life sciences: Commercial and Partnering (USA) (2008-2012)

    Areas of Expertise

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