McDermott Will & Schulte, a global law firm

Leads complex patent litigation disputes, with an emphasis on high-stakes trial work

Represents clients in pharmaceutical and life sciences patent matters, including Hatch-Waxman disputes

Handles patent disputes across a broad range of technologies, including medical devices and consumer products

Emily Jane Cook serves as counsel to clients in the healthcare sector from start-ups to established market leaders on a wide range of critical regulatory matters to ensure compliant business operations. Her guidance allows these organizations to prospectively and retrospectively manage the risks associated with operating in a high-complexity and highly-regulated sector.

A national authority on the 340B drug pricing program, Emily also helps clients across the country navigate a wide range of complex federal and state healthcare regulations. Her counsel encompasses issues such as navigating federal and state fraud and abuse laws, development of innovative models for healthcare delivery, Medicare provider-based and co-location rules, pharmacy laws and licensure, graduate medical education, and federally qualified health centers. This depth of knowledge across many regulatory issues allows her to provide her clients with comprehensive legal advice and guidance, which allows them to fully evaluate risks in their business and clinical operations. She works closely with colleagues in McDermott’s diverse practice areas to deliver fully realized solutions for her clients.

Emily’s deep insights into US healthcare regulation stem from her previous tenure at the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). For more than five years, she worked with providers and across government agencies to address regulatory barriers to healthcare delivery. She advised senior HHS leadership on Medicare and Medicaid regulation and reimbursement issues affecting rural communities and providers, and served as senior policy advisor to the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services.

Emily is an active member of the American Health Law Association, where she most recently served as the Chair of their Medicare and Medicaid Institute. She is also a member of the firm’s Health/White Collar cross-practice group.

Pankit J. Doshi serves as the Office Managing Partner for the Firm’s San Francisco and Silicon Valley Office.

Pankit focuses his practice on preventative counseling and representing employers in both state and federal courts up through trial and appeal. Pankit serves as lead counsel on cases involving issues related to prosecution and defense of unfair business competition claims, including trade secret misappropriation and restrictive covenant enforcement, independent contractor misclassification, whistleblower complaints, wage and hour disputes and individual claims for wrongful termination, sexual harassment, discrimination, retaliation and breach of contract claims. Pankit also regularly defends employers in complex wage and hour class action and representative actions around the country.

Pankit provides advice and counseling to employers of all sizes, ranging from Fortune 100 companies to startups, on a full-spectrum of labor and employment issues, among them structuring of restrictive covenants, advising on employment compliance strategies, evaluating independent contractor and exempt status relationships, preparing executive employment agreements and protecting intellectual property. He has also assisted companies with nationwide wage and hour and misclassification audits, as well as highly sensitive workplace harassment investigations.

Pankit is experienced in handling employment matters across numerous industries, including automotive, construction, consulting, entertainment, financial services, healthcare, hospitality, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, retail, security, technology, telecommunications and transportation.

Pankit represents employers at trial, administrative hearings and during investigations by various state and federal agencies, including the US Department of Labor, the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing and the California Department of Industrial Relations - Division of Labor Standards Enforcement.

Pankit frequently lectures at annual meetings on employment law issues around the country.

William (Bill) Gaede is known as one of the foremost intellectual property litigators for the life sciences and medical device industries. He serves as lead counsel for a wide range of companies and research institutes and has extensive experience in litigating life science technologies such as antibodies, proteins, small molecules, and diagnostics.

In addition to his substantial jury trial experience, Bill has argued before the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. He further provides risk management guidance on freedom to operate issues.

Before entering the private sector, Bill served as the temporary deputy district attorney for the City and County of San Francisco.

Mark J. Mihanovic, head of the Firm’s Bay Area Transactions Group, primarily focuses his practice on corporate finance matters and mergers and acquisitions (M&A). He represents companies in a broad range of industries, with particular emphasis on the technology, life sciences and healthcare sectors.

Mark serves as lead counsel on behalf of issuers and underwriters in public offerings and private placements of equity and debt securities. He handles stock and asset acquisitions, divestitures, mergers, proxy fights and joint ventures and has had primary oversight responsibility for the regional and worldwide acquisition programs of multiple clients. Mark represents early-stage companies in connection with formation and organizational issues and venture capital and has also represented investors in complex venture capital transactions involving equity and debt.

Mark has substantial experience advising corporate boards of directors and management regarding fiduciary duties, including in connection with potential change in control transactions and consideration of “poison pill” stockholders rights plans, and corporate governance issues. He assists publicly traded companies with their U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings and other securities compliance matters. He also advises investment banks on securities compliance issues and in acting as a financial adviser and delivering fairness opinions in the context of acquisitions and restructurings.

Mark has lectured at various external and McDermott-sponsored programs on topics such as public offerings, emerging company and venture capital issues and corporate governance matters. He has also spoken on mergers and acquisitions and other corporate-law-related topics in various client seminars and has served as a guest lecturer for transaction-related courses at the University of Michigan Law School and Stanford Law School.

Bhanu Sadasivan focuses her practice on patent litigation, with an emphasis in the life sciences industry. She has experience litigating patent cases concerning recombinant DNA technology, pharmaceutical formulation, computer hardware and software.

Prior to law school, she received her PhD in Immunology from Yale University and was a postdoctoral research fellow at Brigham & Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and was a recipient of the Arthritis Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship. Bhanu is the co-author of several scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals.

Steven J. Schnelle is a trusted advisor to investors, executives, general counsel, and business operators in the healthcare and life sciences sectors, delivering actionable strategies to help them achieve market leadership, drive transformative growth, and navigate complex regulatory landscapes. With a national reputation for his transactional acumen and regulatory insights, Steven brings clarity and alignment to multifaceted arrangements, empowering organizations to excel in today’s dynamic healthcare environment.

Steven is a recognized authority in national reimbursement strategy, enabling clients to maximize the value of healthcare services and products. His counsel is particularly sought after by executive leadership teams and general counsel in hospital systems, as well as by professional groups; pharmacy service providers; clinical laboratories; and manufacturers of pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and durable medical equipment. He has extensive experience in advising on cutting-edge regulatory developments and innovative business models, ensuring his clients remain competitive and compliant.

Core Areas of Experience:

• Healthcare Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A). Guiding transactions involving changes of ownership and control with a focus on seamless regulatory coordination
• Federal Healthcare Oversight. Managing audits, investigations, and compliance with federal programs
• Third-Party Payer and Reimbursement. Addressing challenges and opportunities in payer participation and payment structures
• Medicare Administrative Appeals. Driving favorable outcomes in high-stakes appeals
• Sector-Specific Regulations. Navigating the nuanced regulatory requirements of health facilities, corporate practice, pharmacy, clinical laboratories, hospice care, and pharmaceutical/device manufacturing
• Pharmacy Matters. Counseling pharmacies on state and federal regulatory frameworks, Medicare enrollment disputes, and revocations

Steven has also cultivated a niche practice in navigating the complexities of the 340B Drug Pricing Program, providing tailored guidance on program development, audit response, manufacturer repayments, and litigation. His ability to resolve intricate issues relating to duplicate discounts and alleged diversion has earned him accolades from healthcare providers and pharmacy services providers alike.

Thought Leadership

Steven’s thought leadership has been widely recognized, with accolades from Chambers USA and other prestigious legal directories. He is a sought-after speaker at industry conferences, addressing topics ranging from healthcare M&A trends to reimbursement innovation. His insights have also been featured in leading publications, and he frequently mentors the next generation of legal talent in the healthcare sector.

Aroma Sharma focuses her practice on a wide range of corporate and transactional matters, acting predominantly for private and emerging companies. Aroma has advised clients on mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity financing, corporate and equity restructuring and recapitalizations and joint ventures in various industries, including technology and health and life sciences. She also advises clients regularly on general corporate and corporate governance matters. Aroma also has experience working on cross-border transactions, including business’ international expansion into new territories.

Aroma regularly serves as primary outside counsel for clients. She understands the importance of knowing a client’s business, and completed a secondment with a large, multi-national accounting and advisory firm, assisting with drafting and negotiating commercial transactional agreements.

Aroma was also a fellow in Entrepreneurship, Social Entrepreneurship & Innovation at NYU School of Law and has a special interest in working with social enterprises and sustainable businesses.