Live Social Event & Zoom Webcast
Overview (Program Summary)
A program hosted by:
ACC San Francisco Bay Area
Join us March 10-12, 2026. All in-house counsel welcome!
All in-house counsel are invited to participate in up to 8 hours of virtual California CLE programming, an in-person networking reception, lunch delivery for members across the U.S. and more! Discover new and timely legal updates pertaining to the Life Sciences industry both at home and across the globe.
Step 1: Life Sciences Social
Register March 10
5:30pm – 7:30pm In-Person Social @ Chandlery At The Shore, Brisbane, CA
Step 2: CLEs
Register March 11
9:30am – 2:45pm Virtual
Step 3: CLEs
Register March 12
9:30am – 2:45pm Virtual
DAY 1 - TUESDAY, MARCH 11 - IN-PERSON SOCIAL
5:30pm-7:30pm | LIFE SCIENCES SOCIAL
DAY 2 - WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11 - VIRTUAL
9:30am-10:30am | FINNEGAN
Legal Ethics in Life Sciences IP: Managing Conflicts, Confidentiality, and Compliance
Please join Finnegan in discussing some of the most pressing ethical considerations for Life Sciences attorneys today, including:
1) Managing Conflicts of Interest
2) Ethical Duties in Protecting Confidential Information and Trade Secrets
3) Ensuring Accuracy, Integrity, and Candor in Patent Prosecution
SPEAKERS:
Jeffrey D. Smyth,, Partner, Finnegan
Briana Barron Vice President, Intellectual Property, Arcus Biosciences
10:45am-11:45am | NEWFRONT
Managing FDA Uncertainty as Enterprise Risk: Governance, Disclosure & Insurance Strategies for Life Sciences Legal Leaders
FDA decisions don’t happen in a vacuum; they ripple across the organization. Approval delays, shifting regulatory interpretations, and enforcement uncertainty can quickly translate into disclosure challenges, stock volatility, securities litigation, and board-level scrutiny.
This session will explore how legal leaders can treat FDA uncertainty as an enterprise risk and proactively manage related governance, disclosure, and D&O exposure. Through perspectives from in-house leadership, outside counsel, and insurance specialists, the panel will share practical approaches to navigating regulatory uncertainty, aligning internal and external communications, and mitigating downstream legal and financial risk across the company lifecycle.
SPEAKERS:
Deirdre Finn, National Practice Leader, Executive Risk Solutions
Eric Tausend, SVP, Senior Director & West Regional ERS Leader
Stephen Brady, CEO, Tempest Therapeutics
12:30pm-1:30pm | MORRISON FOERSTER
"Commercially Reasonable Efforts", "Arising IP" and Similar Clauses - How Precision in Contract Language Can Help Avoid Future Disputes
SPEAKER:
Matthew A. Chivvis, Partner, Morrison Foerster
1:45pm-2:45pm | SHOOK HARDY
Trends and Developments in Preemption in Life Sciences Litigation
SPEAKER:
Alicia J. Donahue, Partner, Shook Hardy
DAY 3 - THURSDAY, MARCH 12 - VIRTUAL
9:30am-10:30am | PERKINS COIE
IP Strategies for Life Sciences and Med Tech in 2026: Court Decisions and Trends to Watch and Why They Matter
The panel will unpack the IP developments shaping life sciences and med tech in 2026. The panelists will spotlight pivotal court decisions, track enforcement trends, and distill actionable takeaways for portfolio strategy, risk mitigation, and litigation readiness. Specifically, the panel will cover:
High-stakes biopharma patent litigations, including the Supreme Court’s consideration of Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. v. Amarin Pharma, Inc., and its implications for “skinny labels” and induced infringement strategies, and the Federal Circuit’s recent REGENXBIO Inc. v. Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc. decision on natural phenomenon and patent eligibility.
Medical devices and AI-based diagnostics, focusing on how courts are applying stricter Section 101 standards in tension with the USPTO’s more lenient guidance—and what that means for patent eligibility, drafting, and prosecution.
Broader enforcement trends, including a projected rise in NPE activity targeting medtech and expanding cross-border actions before the Unified Patent Court.
SPEAKERS:
Arpita Bhattacharyya Ph.D., Partner, Perkins Coie (moderator)
Andrew T. Dufresne, Partner, Perkins Coie
Eb Bright, President & GC, ExploraMed
10:45am-11:45am | REED SMITH
From Pharma to Produce: California’s Evolving Tort Terrain
SPEAKERS:
Sarah B. Johansen, Partner, Reed Smith
Steven J. Boranian, Partner, Reed Smith
12:30pm-1:30pm | FRESHFIELDS
Life Sciences Deal Structures: Practical Considerations and Lessons Learned
Panel discussion on the various considerations between licensing, mergers and asset deals including in-house counsel. The panelists will discuss benefits and drawbacks of each type of deal, personal experiences and lessons learned in negotiating each deal type.
SPEAKERS:
Kristen O.Riemenschneider, Partner, Freshfields
Jake A. Silvers, Senior Associate, Freshfields
Madeleine Tavcar, Senior Associate, Freshfields
Ali Muffenbier, Associate – Finance, Freshfields
Siddharth Kishore Ph.D., Business Development & Acquisitions, AbbVie
Frank Freeman, Counsel, Eli Lilly
1:45pm-2:45pm | KEKER VAN NEST & PETERS
TBD
CLICK ON THE LINKS ABOVE TO REGISTER.
THANK YOU TO OUR 2026 LIFE SCIENCE CONFERENCE SPONSORS!
