Barrett Joins Wilson Sonsini’s Colorado Office as a Partner, Adding Intellectual Property and In-House Life Sciences Experience to the Firm’s Boulder Team
Contact:
Wayne Kessler
Baretz+Brunelle
732.239.9710 Mobile
wkessler@baretzbrunelle.com
PALO ALTO, CA (July 26, 2022) – Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, the premier provider of legal services to technology, life sciences, and growth enterprises worldwide, announced today that William (Bill) Barrett has joined the firm’s patents and innovations department as a partner in the Boulder, Colorado, office. Barrett built the legal function for three biotechnology companies—Nobex, GRAIL, and Illumina—and founded IP boutique TechNomos. His addition bolsters Wilson Sonsini’s IP and life sciences experience in the firm’s newest office.
Barrett is the second lateral partner to join Wilson Sonsini’s Boulder office in the past six weeks. In mid-June, the firm announced that Brent Fassett joined the office as a partner in the corporate department.
For more than two decades, Barrett has focused on technology and IP law. He has worked with innovative companies and inventors and led experienced IP and legal teams. In 2019, Barrett founded TechNomos, a boutique technology and innovation protection law firm based in Colorado. Before that, he worked at GRAIL, a biotechnology company based in Silicon Valley. GRAIL was a spin-off of Illumina in San Diego, where Barrett led a 10-member IP team that focused on developing and executing the company’s global IP strategy, including patents, trademarks, and copyrights.
While at GRAIL, Barrett built and managed the IP and legal teams; drafted and negotiated clinical research agreements, IP licenses, and collaborations; handled a variety of regulatory issues; and served as the company’s data privacy officer. He led legal and IP diligence for GRAIL’s $1.2 billion Series B financing round, as well as its 2017 merger with Hong Kong-based Cirina.
Prior to joining Illumina in 2013, Barrett joined a Duke University start-up called Advanced Liquid Logic, where he helped to build a portfolio of more than 350 patents and applications in digital microfluidics. After the company was acquired by Illumina, he was asked to lead Illumina’s IP team.
“As the life sciences sector continues to flourish in Colorado, we anticipate there will be ongoing opportunities to assist clients in the area that need sophisticated IP advice in addition to our corporate and regulatory counsel,” said Doug Clark, managing partner at Wilson Sonsini. “With his extensive in-house life sciences and private IP practice experience, Bill will be a fantastic resource for our entrepreneur, company, and investor clients in Colorado and elsewhere. He’s developed a strong base of life sciences contacts in the Bay Area, Research Triangle Park, and Canada. We’re pleased to welcome Bill to the firm.”
On February 1, 2022, Wilson Sonsini announced plans to open an office in Boulder, from which it would support the region’s thriving life sciences businesses and other growth enterprises. The firm represents a range of start-up and established life sciences clients in Colorado that fall into several sectors, including drug discovery; biotech, genomics, and proteomics; screening and diagnostics; medical devices and supplies; pharmaceuticals; health services; and agtech and foodtech.
“Since I’ve been in the life sciences field for some time, I’ve had the chance to collaborate with so many exceptional attorneys at Wilson Sonsini, including Vern Norviel, Maya Skubatch, and other members of the firm’s patents and innovations team,” said Barrett. “I’m excited about the opportunity to continue working with innovative life sciences clients and collaborating with the team in Boulder to help the firm expand its client base in Colorado and other life sciences markets.”
Barrett earned his J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law in 1997, and a B.S. in biology from the University of North Carolina in 1993. He also earned a Professional Certificate in genetics and genomics from Stanford University in 2018. He is admitted to practice in Colorado and North Carolina, and before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
From 1986 to 1991, Barrett served in the United States Air Force in Japan, England, and Saudi Arabia, where he specialized in information technology. He was honored with the John Levitow Award for outstanding leadership, as well as an Air Force Achievement Medal for outstanding achievement and meritorious service.
Barrett is the lead co-author of the book, iProperty: Profiting from Ideas in an Age of Global Innovation (Wiley & Sons, 2008).
About Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
For more than 60 years, Wilson Sonsini’s services and legal disciplines have focused on serving the principal challenges faced by the management and boards of directors of business enterprises. The firm is nationally recognized as a leading provider to growing and established clients seeking legal counsel to complete sophisticated corporate and technology transactions; manage governance and enterprise-scale matters; assist with intellectual property development, protection, and IP-driven transactions; represent them in contested disputes; and/or advise them on antitrust or other regulatory matters. With deep roots in Silicon Valley, Wilson Sonsini has offices in 18 technology and business hubs worldwide. For more information, please visit www.wsgr.com.