Five Choate Attorneys Named 2016 Boston "Lawyers of the Year" by Best Lawyers in America

Choate announced today that five partners at the firm – William B. Asher, Jr., Robert M. Buchanan, Jr., Karen F. Copenhaver, Brenda Herschbach Jarrell, Ph.D., and John R. Pitfield – have been named a 2016 Boston “Lawyer of the Year” by The Best Lawyers in America®. This designation is given to a single lawyer in each practice area and geographic location, reflecting the highest overall peer feedback on ability, professionalism and integrity.  Four of Choate’s five “Lawyer of the Year” winners this year have been honored with this prestigious designation multiple times in recent years.

William B. Asher, Jr. was named “Lawyer of the Year” for Corporate Compliance Law for the second time in three years. He is co-chair of the firm’s Business & Technology and Life Sciences Groups and has more than 30 years of experience in corporate finance and securities law, venture capital, mergers & acquisitions (M&A) and corporate governance.  He advises growth companies on corporate formation, financing, strategic transactions, buy- and sell-side M&A and equity and executive compensation arrangements and provides representation in initial public offerings and follow-on capital markets transactions, representing both companies and underwriters.

Robert M. Buchanan, who heads the Antitrust practice at Choate, was named “Lawyer of the Year” for Antitrust Law for the second time in three years.  He counsels companies in strategically important transactions; analyzing and overseeing Hart-Scott-Rodino filings; and advocating before the Federal Trade Commission, the US Department of Justice, and various states.  In addition to antitrust and regulatory litigation, he also handles class action defense, commercial disputes and trade secret claims for clients in a wide range of industries including healthcare, life sciences, technology, energy, media, insurance and professional services.

Karen F. Copenhaver was named “Lawyer of the Year” for Information Technology Law – her fourth time receiving this award in five years.  Her practice emphasizes technology transfer and licensing of intellectual property, particularly in the areas of patent licensing and software licensing and open source business models.  She is also the director of intellectual property strategy for the Linux Foundation.  She is a frequent speaker on issues relating to technology licensing and open source software.

Dr. Brenda Herschbach Jarrell was named “Lawyer of the Year” for Biotechnology Law for the second time in five years.  As co-chair of Choate’s Life Sciences and Intellectual Property Groups, Dr. Jarrell brings extensive technical credentials and scientific training to her practice.  She is well versed in many technologies in the biotech, pharmaceutical and specialty chemical industries, including cutting edge areas such as small molecule therapeutics, biologics, vaccines, diagnostic technologies and nanomedicines.  She brings a deep understanding of the progression of intellectual property assets to her representation of companies and institutions at all stages of the life sciences business lifecycle, as well as those who invest in them. 

John R. Pitfield was named “Lawyer of the Year” for Securities Regulation.  At Choate, he focuses on public offerings, tender offers and debt and equity financing for both US and Canadian companies and public company compliance.  He also handles corporate transactions for public and private companies, including all types of mergers, acquisitions, leveraged buyouts and going private transactions for companies in a broad spectrum of industries.  In the private equity area, he focuses on all aspects of capital raising and acquisition of target companies for funds of all types.

Published since 1983, Best Lawyers® is “regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence” because it is based on over six million detailed evaluations of lawyers by other lawyers. Listings cannot be purchased, and lawyers are included in Best Lawyers based entirely on peer-review.