Choate today announced that Gerald Quirk, formerly Vice President of Corporate Affairs and General Counsel at Infinity Pharmaceuticals, Inc., has joined the firm as co-chair of its Life Sciences Group. Mr. Quirk has over 18 years of experience advancing the legal and business interests of public and private companies in the life sciences industry.
During his six-year tenure at Nasdaq-listed Infinity Pharmaceuticals, Mr. Quirk was responsible for the company’s corporate communications, investor relations and finance functions in addition to its legal and patent departments. Previously, he spent over eight years in progressively responsible legal and business development roles at publicly traded Genzyme Corporation, most recently as Managing Corporate Counsel.
“Gerald Quirk will be a strong leader for our premier Life Sciences practice. He brings a multi-dimensional perspective and deep understanding of the industry from the inside out. Our clients will greatly benefit from his vast life sciences and IP transactional experience, as well as his business savvy and leadership skills,” said William Gelnaw and John Nadas, co-managing partners at Choate. “We were looking to make a high level strategic hire in our rapidly growing national Life Sciences practice, so we are very excited to have this preeminent lawyer join our firm.”
As co-chair of the Life Sciences Group at Choate, Mr. Quirk will focus on advising life sciences clients on corporate matters, including legal support and advice in connection with the research, development and commercialization of pharmaceutical products, as well as merger and acquisition transactions; representing life sciences companies in structuring and negotiating strategic transactions such as joint ventures, collaborations and intellectual property licenses; and advising boards of directors and senior management teams on sensitive corporate governance and compliance issues.
Mr. Quirk has structured and negotiated many strategic business transactions including: Infinity’s global strategic alliance with Purdue Pharma LP and Mundipharma International Corp. Ltd. that provided over $300 million in minimally dilutive research and development financing; Genzyme’s $1 billion acquisition of ILEX Oncology, Inc. that was the foundation of its commercial oncology and multiple sclerosis businesses; and dozens of other transactions pertaining to the development and commercialization of small molecules, biologics and medical devices across a broad array of disease indications.
“I am thrilled to be joining Choate, which has an unparalleled commitment to providing high-quality, client-focused legal services for life sciences companies,” said Mr. Quirk. “I look forward to providing value-added advice for the firm’s clients with a perspective that comes from having worked in the industry for nearly 15 years.”
Mr. Quirk received his JD from Northeastern University School of Law in 1994, his EdM from Harvard University in 1991 and his BA from Swarthmore College in 1989. He is a member of the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional School Committee. Before joining Choate, Mr. Quirk served on the Executive Committee of Biotechnology Industry Organization’s General Counsels Committee.
