Brown Rudnick bolsters life sciences and technology teams with addition of partners Vince Shier and Ryan Smith 

WASHINGTON, D.C., – September 3, 2024 – Brown Rudnick announced today that Vince Shier and Ryan Smith have joined the firm as life sciences and technology partners in the firm’s Washington, D.C., office. 

The move enhances Brown Rudnick’s reputation as a go-to firm for life sciences and technology, and follows the arrival in New York of life sciences litigator Merri Moken in May 2023, BR BioAdvisory Services leaders Chris Jeffers and Elizabeth Parsons in January 2024, and patent agent Hugo Garrido, Ph.D. in chemistry, in August 2024. 

“We are thrilled to welcome Vince and Ryan to the firm,” said Mark Dorff, managing director of Brown Rudnick’s Corporate & Capital Markets Department. “Their combined experience in patent counseling strengthens our market-leading position representing life sciences and technology clients with an array of corporate, intellectual property, and dispute resolution offerings.” 

Shier, who has a Ph.D. in biological chemistry, has more than two decades of experience prosecuting patent applications, representing VCs, venture-backed and startup companies, as well as public companies, in post-grant proceedings at the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), and providing strategic advice on patent portfolios. He represents clients in the biotech, life sciences and pharmaceutical fields, as well as several chemical disciplines. 

Smith, who has a Ph.D. in pharmacology, represents entrepreneurs, startups, and Fortune 500 companies on intellectual property transactions across a wide range of industries, including consumer products, biomedical, chemical, food science, agriculture, life sciences, and medical devices. Earlier in his career, Smith was a patent examiner at the USPTO. 

Shier joins Brown Rudnick from Haynes and Boone, and Smith from Dickinson Wright. They have long known each other and are excited to pursue mutual opportunities together on Brown Rudnick’s platform. 

“I am excited to work with Ryan and the first-rate team at Brown Rudnick,” Shier said. “Brown Rudnick is one of the most dynamic firms in the industry today, with a full ecosystem of support for clients in the life sciences and technology space, which enables us to provide our clients with solutions-based approaches and top-tier legal services to meet all their needs.” 

Smith said, “I look forward to teaming up with Vince and the deep bench at Brown Rudnick to help our clients in cutting-edge transactions where IP is a primary driver for investors and companies. The depth of Brown Rudnick’s bench, including its international platform, will provide our clients with additional resources and experience to help them achieve their strategic goals.” 

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