SHANGHAI, China, Nov 04, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Sidley Austin LLP announced today that Katherine Wang has joined the firm as a counsel in the Life Sciences practice. Ms. Wang will be resident in the Shanghai office.
Ms. Wang, who joins the firm after serving as the head of AstraZeneca's legal departments in Asia Pacific and China, will focus her practice on corporate, commercial and regulatory aspects of life sciences matters. At AstraZeneca, Ms. Wang advised on critical strategic and operational initiatives to ensure statutory compliance and realization of business objectives.
"Katherine has had an extraordinary legal career and has been at the forefront of legal developments in Asia in the life sciences field," said Scott Bass, head of Sidley's global Life Sciences practice. "We are privileged to welcome such an experienced professional to our team in China."
Ms. Wang commented, "Sidley is respected for its global leadership in all aspects of the life sciences. I have worked with many on the Sidley team, including Yang Chen, head of the China Life Sciences practice, and am excited to participate in the firm's dynamic practice here in China."
Ms. Wang received an LL.M. from Harvard Law School; an LL.M. from National Taiwan University, where she graduated first in her class of 20; and an LL.B. from National Taiwan University, where she graduated first in her class of 300. Ms. Wang was selected as one of the top 25 in-house counsels in the Asia Pacific region by Asia Legal Business. Ms. Wang also previously worked for McKinsey & Company, a management consulting firm, advising clients in the pharmaceutical and technology industries across Greater China.
Sidley has developed a working relationship with the Shanghai FDA and, in January 2008, entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Shanghai Institute for Food and Drug Safety of Shanghai FDA. Sidley is the first law firm to be honored with an MOU issued by the Shanghai Institute for Food and Drug Safety, and the firm will advise on a number of projects relating to the drafting of new drug and device laws in China. The cooperation also involves joint sponsorship of large international annual seminars on drug safety, the first of which is the 2008 Drug Safety and Public Policy International Conference - Post Market Safety, just held on October 29-30, 2008 in Shanghai. Sidley co-hosted the Conference and was the only co-sponsor other than the government. For more information on the Conference, please visit http://www.sidley.com/drugsafety_shanghai/.
Sidley's pharmaceutical industry team, which consists of more than 200 lawyers across the United States, in the EU and in Asia, provides legal services to major pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, food, dietary supplement and cosmeceutical companies. This multidisciplinary practice includes FDA regulatory, healthcare, products liability, intellectual property, government enforcement and compliance, antitrust/competition, international trade and arbitration, M&A transactions and joint ventures, nanotechnology and environmental. Our lawyers represent clients at every stage of the product life cycle. Sidley recently was recognized as the single most recommended law firm and the single most mentioned firm on clients' short lists among clients in the pharmaceuticals industry in the 2008 BTI Industry Power Rankings.
Sidley Austin LLP is one of the world's largest full-service law firms, with more than 1800 lawyers practicing in 16 U.S. and international cities, including Beijing, Brussels, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hong Kong, London, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo. Every year since 2003, Sidley has been named to Legal Business' Global Elite, its designation for the 18 firms "that define the pinnacle of the legal profession." BTI, a Boston-based consulting and research firm, has named Sidley to their Client Service Hall of Fame as one of only two law firms to rank in the Client Service Top 10 for seven years in a row, and to the BTI Power Elite as one of only seven law firms demonstrating the best client relationships for the fourth consecutive year.
For purposes of the New York State Bar rules, this press release may be considered Attorney Advertising and the headquarters of the firm are Sidley Austin LLP 787 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10019, 212.839.5300 and Sidley Austin LLP One South Dearborn, Chicago, IL 60603, 312.853.7000. Prior results described herein do not guarantee a similar outcome.
SOURCE: Sidley Austin LLP
Sidley Austin LLP
Janet Zagorin, 212-839-8797
Director of Practice Development
jzagorin@sidley.com
or
Rubenstein Associates
Kathleen Blomquist, 212-843-8065
kblomquist@rubenstein.com
