Goodwin Procter Continues California Investment — Key Partners Join National Technology and Life Sciences Practice; Firm Opens San Diego Office

For Immediate Release: 3.19.2007

Contact:
Jill Reilly
617.570.8783

Boston, March 19, 2007 — Goodwin Procter LLP, one of the nation’s leading law firms with more than 700 attorneys, today announced the expansion of its technology and life sciences practice with the addition of partners Stephen C. Ferruolo and Ryan A. Murr in California. Both attorneys are former partners at Heller Ehrman LLP. Stephen Ferruolo will chair Goodwin Procter’s new office in San Diego.

“We are extremely pleased to welcome Stephen Ferruolo and Ryan Murr to Goodwin Procter, as we continue our investment in California by opening a new office in San Diego,” said Regina M. Pisa, chairman and managing partner of Goodwin Procter. “Serving clients on the West Coast is a key component of our long-term bi-coastal strategy. These are lawyers of extraordinary quality, achievement and character. When combined with and complemented by our technology and life sciences groups in Boston and Washington, DC, they will further position Goodwin Procter as a national powerhouse with significant resources and capabilities to advance our clients’ business goals.”

Goodwin Procter has significant experience advising life sciences companies, with more than 150 of the firm’s attorneys representing 330 technology and 170 life sciences industries clients. The firm’s Technology Companies Group, which includes the Life Sciences practice, is one of the largest in the United States, representing over 500 public and private companies and entrepreneurs and over 100 venture capital and private equity firms, as well as many of the leading investment banks in the country.

Goodwin Procter first established its presence in California last year by opening offices in Los Angeles and San Francisco, featuring two of its preeminent practices — real estate capital markets and complex litigation. In a separate, but related, release today the firm announced the opening of a second office in Los Angeles, bringing the total number of Goodwin Procter offices in California to four.

“The firm’s life sciences clients are a diverse and dynamic group — leaders in the field,” said Lawrence S. Wittenberg, a partner in Goodwin Procter’s Technology Companies Group and co-chair of its Life Sciences Practice. “Their businesses span the full spectrum of the life sciences industry, including biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, diagnostics, research tools, and laboratory supplies and services. Adding Stephen Ferruolo and Ryan Murr is a significant step towards building a strong life sciences and technology team in San Diego, expanding throughout key California markets and integrating into our national platform.”

The further expansion of Goodwin Procter’s life sciences practice follows several recent milestones for the firm. Last month, several attorneys joined the firm’s Washington, DC office, bringing with them a wealth of expertise in life sciences and medical device companies and extensive experience within all phases of FDA regulation.

In 2005, the firm added nearly 100 attorneys from Testa Hurwitz & Thibeault and McDermott Will & Emery, adding significant depth and capabilities to its technology, life sciences, private equity and intellectual property practices. In 2004, Goodwin Procter combined with Shea & Gardner, the Washington, D.C.-based law firm.

About Goodwin Procter:

Goodwin Procter LLP is one of the nation’s leading law firms with offices in Boston, Los Angeles, New York, San Diego, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. The firm’s core areas of practice are corporate, litigation and real estate, with specialized areas of focus that include financial services, private equity, technology, REITs and real estate capital markets, intellectual property and products liability. Goodwin Procter is nationally recognized in its representation of life sciences and technology companies, combining the expertise of 150 lawyers devoted to advising growth-oriented companies from start-up to IPO and beyond. Additional information may be found at www.goodwinprocter.com.

Partner Biographical Information:

Stephen Ferruolo was formerly Co-Chair of Heller Ehrman’s Corporate/VLG Practice Group, a member of the Coordinating Committee of the Life Sciences Practice, a member of the Intellectual Property Transactions Practice Group and a member of Heller Ehrman’s Policy Committee. He has worked on public and private financings, acquisitions, joint ventures, strategic partnerships and technology licenses for companies in such fields as biotechnology, medical devices and diagnostics, software, material sciences and telecommunications. Ferruolo frequently speaks on corporate finance, corporate governance and technology transfer issues. His publications include the chapter on "Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation" in Start-Up and Emerging Companies: Planning, Financing and Operating the Successful Business, 2004.

In 2006, Ferruolo was awarded the William W. Otterson Service Award, presented by BIOCOM for outstanding support of the life sciences industry in San Diego. He is a member of the Executive Committee and Vice President and General Counsel of BIOCOM/San Diego. He earned his J.D. from Stanford Law School, a B.A. from Wesleyan University, Masters Degrees from Oxford University and Princeton University, and a Ph.D. in history from Princeton University.

Ryan Murr specializes in corporate and securities law, with an emphasis on representing publicly traded companies in connection with securities offerings, mergers and acquisitions, and SEC reporting and corporate governance matters, including Sarbanes-Oxley Act compliance. He has particular experience representing and advising companies in the life sciences, information technology and software industries. He is listed in Who’s Who of Emerging Leaders and has lectured on topics of securities reform, corporate governance matters and effective negotiating strategies and tactics. He earned his J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law and a B.A. from the University of Oregon Honors College.

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