Fish & Richardson Principals Juanita Brooks, Betsy Flanagan and Deanna Reichel Named to 2018 "Top 250 Women in Litigation" List

Fish & Richardson principals Juanita Brooks, Betsy Flanagan and Deanna Reichel have been named to the 2018 list of "Top 250 Women in Litigation" by Benchmark Litigation.Brooks was also named one of the "Top 10 Female Litigators" in the country. Brooks, Flanagan and Reichel were recognized as leading female litigators in their respective fields for their work on "some of the most impactful litigation matters in recent history" and for "earning the hard-won respect of their peers and clients."

In 2018, Brooks, Flanagan and Reichel led the all-women Federal Circuit oral argument team that won a unanimous opinion that affirmed Fish's June 2016 post-trial wipe-out of a $200 million jury verdict against client Gilead Sciences, Inc. after proving Merck had forfeited its right to assert its hepatitis C drug patents against Gilead because of litigation and business misconduct constituting "unclean hands."

Brooks, a principal in Fish's San Diego office, is a nationally recognized trial and appellate lawyer who has handled more than 150 trials in her career. Her stellar record and impressive reputation have made her one of the most sought-after IP litigators in the country. Brooks is an elected member of Fish's Management Committee. She received her J.D. from Yale Law School in 1977 and her B.A. from San Diego State University in 1974.

Flanagan is a principal in Fish's Twin Cities office where she focuses on complex patent litigation, with an emphasis on life sciences, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical litigation. Flanagan is the senior chairperson of Fish's Twin Cities EMPOWER women's initiative. She received her J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Minnesota Law School in 2008 and her B.A. in chemistry from Cornell University in 2003.

Reichel is a principal in Fish's Twin Cities office. She has extensive experience in Hatch-Waxman and other life sciences litigation and has litigated cases involving many different pharmaceutical products. She received her J.D., with highest distinction, Order of the Coif, from the University of Iowa College of Law in 2002 and her B.S., summa cum laude, in chemistry from the University of St. Thomas in 1999.

Attorneys were chosen as "Top Women in Litigation" based on a review of their recent casework, consideration of how attorneys at peer legal institutions might rank them and client feedback on their performances.