Kingsley Taft > Goodwin > Boston, United States > Lawyer Profile
Goodwin Offices
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100 NORTHERN AVENUE
BOSTON MA 02210
MASSACHUSETTS
United States
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Kingsley Taft
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Position
Partner
Career
Kingsley Taft is a senior partner and co-chair of Goodwin’s Life Sciences group and a former member of the Allocations Committee. He represents emerging to mature life sciences companies in all aspects of their business and legal affairs, including company formation, venture financings, strategic alliances, M&A, IPOs and other capital market transactions, and other financing and commercial transactions. Kingsley has extensive experience in assisting clients with JVs, strategic alliances, licenses, and collaborations.
Kingsley has been recognized as a leading life sciences attorney by numerous legal guides. He has been annually ranked for more than 15 years in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business (Nationwide, Life Sciences: Corporate/Commercial — Band 1). Kingsley was inducted into the LMG Life Sciences Hall of Fame, named a Biotechnology and Life Sciences Lawyer of the Year in 2022 by The Best Lawyers in America and named a Life Sciences Thought Leader by Who’s Who Legal – Global Elite.
Education
JD, 1997, Harvard Law School (magna cum laude) / PhD, Chemistry, 1993, Massachusetts Institute of Technology / BS, Chemistry, 1989, Yale University (magna cum laude)
Lawyer Rankings
United States > Healthcare > Life sciences
(Leading lawyers)With a raft of lawyers ‘whose experience is deeply rooted in the space,’ Goodwin is able to assist life sciences sector clients across the spectrum of related issues, ranging from multi-billion dollar acquisitions, to securing FDA approval for groundbreaking drugs, and obtaining patent protection for their products. 2023 saw extensive hiring at the partner level, with the October 2023 arrivals of licensing specialist David Chen in Santa Monica from Ropes & Gray LLP and capital markets expert Adam Johnson from Latham & Watkins LLP in New York underscoring the arrival in Philadelphia of a 10-strong team from Troutman Pepper in February. Mitchell Bloom leads the team alongside Kingsley Taft, with both assisting clients in securing VC funding and with eventual IPOs, with the latter also handling licensing agreements and the structuring of joint ventures; both are based in Boston. Also in Boston, Marishka DeToy and Robert Puopolo‘s practices center on capital markets transactions in the sector. The firm’s FDA regulatory experts are Steven Tjoe and Alexander Varond, both based in Washington DC and advising on medical devices and drug development processes.
United States > Intellectual property > Patents: licensing
Goodwin acts on behalf of clients in various industries, such as technology, life sciences, and financial services, in relation to developing and implementing patent procurement, management, and exploitation policies. In addition, the department also covers patent enforcement and IP litigation, and it is also active in advising on licensing and technology transactions. Catherine McCarty co-leads the team in Boston and specializes in matters concerning the pharma sector, while James Riley co-leads the department from the firm’s Silicon Valley office, representing emerging growth technology companies and venture capital firms. In Boston, Stephen Charkoudian covers technology, data and intellectual property transactions, Kingsley Taft is a key contact for clients in the biotechnology sector, and Bethany Withers chiefly advises tech companies on data, publicity rights, and intellectual property issues. Noelle Dubiansky in Washington DC frequently assists biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical device, and various other life science enterprises with M&A transactions, strategic partnerships, and tech acquisitions.
United States > M&A/corporate and commercial > Venture capital and emerging companies
Goodwin provides a full-service offering to emerging companies and venture capital companies, supporting clients from initial seed financing stages through to exit transactions. The life sciences practice is co-chaired by Mitch Bloom and Kingsley Taft from Boston, and the technology and emerging companies team is jointly led by Kenneth Gordon in Boston and Craig Schmitz in New York. Bill Schnoor, based in Boston, specializes in business and securities law, private equity work, and acquisitions. Danielle Lauzon, who focuses on life sciences and healthcare information technology services clients, and William Collins, who is experienced in formations, capital markets transactions and exit strategies, bolster the Boston team. In Silicon Valley, Caine Moss assists companies in the software, AI, internet, and financial services sectors.
Lawyer Rankings
- Leading lawyers United States > Healthcare > Life sciences
- Patents: licensing United States > Intellectual property
- Venture capital and emerging companies United States > M&A/corporate and commercial
- Life sciences United States > Healthcare
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Finance > Financial services regulation
- Industry focus > Cannabis
- Intellectual property > Patents: licensing
- M&A/corporate and commercial > Private equity buyouts: middle-market (Up to $500m)
- Real estate > Real estate investment trusts (REITs)
- Media, technology and telecoms > Technology transactions
- M&A/corporate and commercial > Venture capital and emerging companies
Firm Rankings
- Finance > Capital markets: equity offerings
- Labor and employment > ERISA litigation
- Finance > Fintech
- Healthcare > Life sciences
- Dispute resolution > M&A litigation: defense
- M&A/corporate and commercial > M&A: middle-market ($500m-999m)
- Real estate > Real estate
- Dispute resolution > Securities litigation: defense
- Intellectual property > Trade secrets (litigation and non-contentious matters)
- Finance > Capital markets: debt offerings
- International trade > CFIUS
- M&A/corporate and commercial > Corporate governance
- Media, technology and telecoms > Cyber law (including data privacy and data protection)
- Dispute resolution > E-discovery
- Labor and employment > Employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans: transactional
- Dispute resolution > Financial services litigation
- Antitrust > Merger control
- Intellectual property > Patents: litigation (full coverage)
- Investment fund formation and management > Private equity funds (including venture capital)
- Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: consumer products (including tobacco)
- Tax > US taxes: non-contentious
- Labor and employment > Workplace and employment counseling
- International trade > Customs, export controls and economic sanctions
- Healthcare > Service providers
- Dispute resolution > Leading trial lawyers
- Dispute resolution > Leading trial lawyers
- Finance > Restructuring (including bankruptcy): corporate
- Dispute resolution > Appellate: courts of appeals / Appellate: supreme courts (states and federal)
- Finance > Commercial lending
- Dispute resolution > Corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense
- Intellectual property > Patents: litigation (International Trade Commission)
- Intellectual property > Patents: prosecution (including re-examination and post-grant proceedings)
- M&A/corporate and commercial > Shareholder activism