Pillsbury Opens in Boston with a Focus on Technology, Life Sciences and Financial Industries

“One of the largest legal and business markets in the United States, Boston is home to a dynamic startup ecosystem, world-class research institutions and a unique concentration of financial services companies and private capital investors,” said David Dekker, Chair and CEO of Pillsbury. “Pillsbury has long represented clients headquartered in the Boston area and those deeply connected to the Boston-Cambridge innovation ecosystem. Opening a Boston office is a natural next step given our breadth and depth of capabilities and relationships in the technology, life sciences, healthcare, financial and other industries in Boston and around the world.”

Notably, the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) ranks Pillsbury as one of the Top 4 law firms advising entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and emerging growth companies globally.

Partner and Global Head of Intellectual Property Michael E. Zeliger, who focuses his practice on complex patent litigation, as well as other IP and related technology litigation in state and federal courts throughout the United States, along with administrative bodies such as the International Trade Commission (ITC), will be co-resident in the firm’s Boston and Silicon Valley offices. Having previously practiced in Boston for 11 years, Zeliger brings extensive technology, pharma, life sciences and healthcare experience. He has served as the lead counsel in more than 100 IP litigation matters for numerous life sciences and technology companies. A graduate of Cornell University (B.S.) and Vermont Law School (J.D., M.S.E.L.), Zeliger is recognized by IAM Patent 1000 for litigation.

Renowned litigator Robert J. Gilbert will join Pillsbury as a partner in the firm’s Boston office from Latham & Watkins. Gilbert is ranked in Band 1 by Chambers USA for representing policyholders in complex insurance recovery matters. His clients include notable Boston-area entities such as Harvard University, UniFirst Corporation, and Northland Investment Corporation, among others. Gilbert represents policyholders and businesses in complex first-party property and business interruption claims, third-party liability matters, and high-stakes commercial and contractual disputes. A go-to advisor for companies worldwide facing significant risk exposure, he has advised hundreds of clients on both pre-loss risk planning and post-loss recovery matters, helping recover billions of dollars in insurance proceeds. A graduate of Princeton University (A.B.) and Harvard Law School (J.D.), Gilbert is a Fellow of the American College of Coverage Counsel and an active civic leader, most recently serving as chair of the board of trustees of Lawrence General Hospital.

Gilbert follows Kirsten C. Jackson, another former Latham & Watkins litigation partner, who recently joined Pillsbury’s Los Angeles office.

“Pillsbury is known for taking on the cases that matter most to our clients and delivering results when the stakes are highest, so Bob fits right in,” noted Pillsbury global head of litigation Deborah Baum. “His arrival adds to our deep bench of battle-tested trial lawyers, strengthens our preeminent insurance recovery practice, and further expands our broad-based litigation team.”

In addition to Zeliger and Gilbert, Pillsbury’s Boston office will include experienced local lawyers with strong ties to the region and a range of capabilities aligned with the firm’s core industries. These include:

• Andrew M. Troop, Pillsbury’s Insolvency & Restructuring Practice Group Leader, advises a global clientele on business reorganizations, debtors’ and creditors’ rights and crisis response, representing them in high-profile cases and related litigation. Troop represents debtors, creditors, acquirers, landlords, and creditors’ and equity committees from diverse industries both in and out of court. He has helped private equity clients acquire, sell and reorganize U.S. and international portfolio companies and defend fraudulent transfer and breach of duty claims. He also represents nonprofits in debtors’ and creditors’ rights matters, and has distinguished himself representing States, including the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, in complex restructurings where State priorities and the U.S. Bankruptcy Code intersect. A graduate of Amherst College (B.A.) and Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law (J.D.), Troop is ranked by Chambers USA in Bankruptcy/Restructuring.
• Don Lonczak has more than 30 years of transactional tax experience involving planning for commercial transactions, ranging from mergers and other acquisitions, joint ventures, spin-offs, debt restructurings, public and private financings, and derivatives. Lonczak regularly advises on the qualification requirements for federal tax credits and similar incentives for clean energy projects. He also has extensive experience in the monetization of energy-related investments, including through tax equity financings. In addition to his lengthy legal career, Lonczak practiced as a certified public accountant, which gives him added insight into the tax accounting and reporting challenges faced by clients. A graduate of Georgetown University (B.S.), Georgetown University Law Center (J.D.), and New York University School of Law (LL.M.), Lonczak has been recognized by The Legal 500 U.S., Lawdragon and International Financial Law Review as a leading tax practitioner.
• David A. Simons represents technology companies, medical device manufactures and other entities in patent infringement litigation and post-grant proceedings. His experience includes jury trials in Massachusetts, Delaware, North Carolina and New York. He has also drafted and argued appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Simons’ cases have involved a variety of technologies in the mechanical, electrical and chemical arts, including computer hardware and software, alarm systems, marine generators, chemical deicers, carpet dyeing machinery and various medical devices and methods of treatment. He has also defended against petitions for inter partes review and ex parte reexamination before the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. Simons is a graduate of Harvard College (B.A.) and the University of Virginia School of Law (J.D.).

“To be able to launch with a team of experienced practitioners, including Andrew, Bob, David, Don and Mike, who work with preeminent Boston institutions and entrepreneurs and are well-known to the local legal community, makes this expansion even more compelling,” said Dekker.

“Our goal is to build a dynamic office in Boston that reflects both Pillsbury’s core strengths and the needs of clients in this market,” said Zeliger. “With its concentration of cutting-edge research and development activity, Boston is one of the most important innovation markets in the world. We see tremendous opportunity to help our clients thrive today and into the future.”

“I am excited to join Pillsbury and be part of the firm’s impressive trajectory,” said Gilbert. “Pillsbury offers a compelling platform that includes one of the leading policyholder insurance practices and deep capabilities across technology, life sciences, financial and other industries. I know firsthand the strength of the team, and I look forward to helping build the Boston office into a premier destination for clients.”

Pillsbury is growing rapidly, welcoming 45 partners over the past 16 months. Notable recent additions include Emerging Companies & Venture Capital partners Steven Green in Silicon Valley from Goodwin, Glenn Luinenberg and Todd Rumberger in Silicon Valley from WilmerHale, Eunice E. Choi in San Francisco from Goodwin, Scott M. Perlov in San Francisco from Polsinelli, Sarah Melaney in London from Withers, David Holland in Washington, DC from Kirkland & Ellis; Technology Transactions partners Adam Chernichaw in New York from A&O Shearman and Daphne M. Higgs in San Francisco from Morrison Foerster; Private Credit partner Jeff Norton in New York from O’Melveny; Intellectual Property partners Mark Abate in New York from Goodwin, Brian P. Gearing Ph.D. in Washington, DC from Crowell, Robert J. Hollingshead in Tokyo from Kilpatrick, Steve James in London from Morrison Foerster, J. Rick Taché in San Diego from Buchalter; Insurance Recovery & Advisory partners Gerald “Jay” Konkel in Washington, DC from Morgan Lewis and Kirsten Jackson in Los Angeles from Latham & Watkins; and former federal prosecutors Todd Kim in Washington, DC (U.S. DOJ) and Markenzy Lapointe (U.S. Attorney, S.D. Fla.) in Miami.

Pillsbury is one of the world’s foremost law firms, advising Technology companies and their investors, as well as clients in the Energy & Infrastructure, Financial, Life Sciences & Healthcare, Real Estate & Construction, and other dynamic industries. From microchips to blue chips, Pillsbury advises clients ranging from entrepreneurs working out of a garage to the largest public and private companies. Pillsbury lawyers are known for their collaboration across disciplines, providing integrated offerings and authoritative commercial awareness. Operating across the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East, the firm’s market-leading practices are consistently recognized for excellence by Chambers & Partners, Financial Times and other publications.