Head of Litigation

Responsibilities

• Own the firm's litigation strategy and disputes portfolio, working in close partnership with the CLO and senior business leadership to protect the firm's interests and position it to act decisively when it matters.
• Lead and manage the firm's litigation portfolio across patent and IP disputes, securities matters, commercial and contractual disputes, employment litigation, regulatory and government enforcement actions, and internal investigations, calibrating your approach to where the firm is and where it is heading.
• Develop and own litigation strategy across the portfolio, aligning legal positioning with the firm's objectives and risk tolerance in close coordination with the CSO and CLO.
• Select, supervise, and hold accountable outside counsel, with a sharp eye on quality, efficiency, and budget discipline.
• Advise senior leadership and, as necessary, the Board and Audit Committee on material litigation exposure, including preparation and oversight of the firm's litigation disclosures.
• Serve as an interface with government agencies, regulators, and enforcement bodies, working in coordination with the CLO and outside counsel.
• Lead internal investigations and, where appropriate, coordinate independent investigations in partnership with the Board.
• Build and maintain litigation holds, document preservation protocols, and e-discovery infrastructure in partnership with the legal operations function.
• Partner with the IP, regulatory, commercial legal, and compliance teams to identify and manage dispute risk before it matures.
• Establish and refine the firm's litigation playbook, including early case assessment, settlement authority frameworks, and litigation reserves guidance.
• Contribute to the broader legal and compliance team as a senior leader, mentoring junior legal staff and helping build a function that is capable, collaborative, and ready to scale.

Qualifications

• J.D. from an accredited law school and active bar membership in good standing.
• Significant litigation experience, with meaningful exposure to complex matters in a life sciences or regulated industry environment, whether in private practice, in-house, or a combination of both.
• Ideal familiarity with patent and IP litigation in the pharmaceutical or biotech space, including Hatch-Waxman and PTAB experience.
• Demonstrated experience managing complex litigation in the life sciences space, including but not limited to securities litigation, shareholder derivative actions, or related public company disputes.
• Prior experience leading or coordinating government investigations, enforcement proceedings, or regulatory inquiries.
• Proven ability to manage and develop outside counsel relationships with both strategic sophistication and financial discipline.
• Experience with litigation disclosure obligations at a publicly traded firm.
• Outstanding judgment and the ability to communicate complex litigation risk clearly to non-lawyers and business leaders across the organization.
• A collaborative, builder's mindset: you are comfortable standing up a function within a broader excellent legal and compliance team, and energized by the challenge rather than daunted by it.