Fish & Richardson Principals Juanita Brooks, Betsy Flanagan and Deanna Reichel Named to 2019 "Top 250 Women in Litigation" List

Fish & Richardson principals Juanita Brooks, Betsy Flanagan and Deanna Reichel have been named to the 2019 list of "Top 250 Women in Litigation" in the U.S. by Benchmark Litigation. Brooks, Flanagan and Reichel were recognized as leading female litigators in their field 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." This is the second consecutive year that Brooks, Flanagan and Reichel were selected for inclusion.

In 2018, Brooks, Flanagan and Reichel led the all-women Federal Circuit oral argument team that won a unanimous opinion that affirmed Fish's post-trial reversal of a $200 million jury verdict against client Gilead Sciences, Inc. The team proved that Merck had forfeited its right to assert its hepatitis C drug patents against Gilead because of litigation and business misconduct constituting "unclean hands." The U.S. Supreme Court denied certiorari in January 2019.

In June 2019, Brooks won an important Federal Circuit affirmance of her jury win for client Microsoft against Parallel Networks, a well-known patent assertion entity. Flanagan and Reichel were part of the appellate team that won a critical February 2019 Federal Circuit affirmance for client Mayo Collaborative Services in a patent infringement case brought by Athena Diagnostics over a method for diagnosing a rare autoimmune disorder.Fish got the district court case dismissed, with the judge ruling that the claimed methods of testing relied on a law of nature and thus were not eligible for patenting. The Federal Circuit denied en banc review in July 2019.

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 trial lawyers 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, including Hatch-Waxman litigation. She has worked on numerous Federal Circuit appeals, has practiced before the International Trade Commission and has experience in inter partes review. 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 has worked on numerous Federal Circuit appeals, as well as appeals to the Supreme Court, and regularly leads the briefing on these appeals. 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. Reichel clerked for the Honorable Raymond Clevenger III in the Federal Circuit after law school.

The "Top Women in Litigation" list is based on a review of each attorney's recent case work, consideration of how attorneys at peer legal institutions might rank them and client feedback on their performances.