Hogan Lovells welcomes life sciences patent litigation team to Washington, D.C. and Silicon Valley offices

Celine Jimenez Crowson, who leads the firm’s IPMT practice in the Americas, noted: “Howard and Jennifer are both highly regarded life sciences patent litigators who bring exceptional experience in an industry that is a significant focus for the firm. We’re thrilled to have them.”

Levine has advised on some of the most complex and valuable biotechnology and pharmaceutical patent litigation matters in the past 30 years and has been at the forefront of legal developments in this space, including precedent concerning the written description requirement under 35 U.S.C. § 112.  He has been lead counsel in district court litigations throughout the country and in appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Levine also has extensive experience in Hatch-Waxman litigation, successfully representing numerous brand pharmaceutical companies.    

Swan is a leader in enforcing and defending patent rights in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry. She has extensive experience representing companies in patent litigation and in the chemical and biotechnology areas. She has experience assisting life science start-ups in strategic counselling. Swan has participated in numerous appellate proceedings at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and was a Federal Circuit clerk. She has been involved in some of the most significant recent developments in patent law, including joint infringement. Swan has lectured internationally on the topic of patent law.

Levine and Swan recently scored notable wins both at the district court and the Federal Circuit in Hatch-Waxman litigation.   

Lynn Mehler, Global Co-Lead for the firm’s Life Sciences & Health Care industry sector group, remarked: “Howard and Jennifer’s arrival adds in-demand IP strength at a time when many of our life sciences clients are involved in complex Hatch-Waxman litigation and matters involving the written description requirement under 35 U.S.C. § 112, among other matters. With their stellar reputations as patent litigators, we are excited to welcome them to our team.”

Ajay Kuntamukkala, Office Managing Partner for the firm’s Washington, D.C. office, added: “Over the past 30 years, Howard has built a strong reputation for successfully representing innovator clients in high-stakes litigation in the nation’s highest courts, a priority for our life sciences clients.”

Jane Ross, Office Managing Partner in Silicon Valley, commented: “Jennifer joins us at an exciting time in Silicon Valley, following continued growth in Northern California, with the recent arrivals of strong commercial and consumer class action litigators Trent Norris, Megan Nishikawa, and Amber Trincado. Together, this group significantly strengthens our litigation capabilities in the Northern California market.” 

Levine said: "I’m excited to be joining Hogan Lovells, a global leader in life sciences and pharmaceutical work. The firm has an unparalleled regulatory practice in this sector, which brings crucial support to clients in this space as they develop and bring their products to market.” Swan added: "As one of only a few firms to have a truly integrated global platform, Hogan Lovells is a great place to continue to grow a practice, at a time when clients are increasingly faced with cross-border and multijurisdictional challenges in the life sciences sector.” 

Levine earned his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and his B.A. from Duke University. Swan earned both her J.D. and B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh. She clerked for the Honorable Chief Judge (ret.) Randall R. Rader at the U.S. Court of appeals for the Federal Circuit. Swan also clerked for the Honorable Jeremy D. Fogel and the Honorable Ronald M. Whyte, both in the Northern District of California.  

About the Hogan Lovells Washington, D.C. office

As a long-time premier Washington, D.C. firm, Hogan Lovells maintains deep institutional roots in the local community, with 119 years of history in the nation’s capital. We have strong brand recognition for our leading regulatory capabilities, technical experience, robust M&A practice, and top appellate offerings, representing many of the most recognizable brands and companies around the world. Our lawyers are recognized leaders in international trade, privacy and cybersecurity, and antitrust, as well as regulatory compliance and enforcement.

About the Hogan Lovells Silicon Valley office

The firm has a targeted focus in Silicon Valley on practice areas to serve the Northern California market: technology M&A and IP litigation. Together with our technology transactions, commercial litigation, and strategic IP counseling colleagues in San Francisco, we collectively serve the entire Northern California region, representing some of the world’s largest and most innovative companies. Our lawyers are recognized leaders in M&A, technology transactions, and IP litigation.