Senior Corporate Counsel, Litigation at Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc. in Marlborough, MA

This position represents SDPA and its subsidiary organizations on a variety of complex and varied legal issues including providing legal advice and the preparation of any necessary legal documentation/opinions. Under the direction of the Associate General Counsel, Legal Affairs this role will help to oversee the litigation function encompassing patent and commercial litigation matters.

SDPA supports numerous U.S. and Global affiliates of the Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Group including Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc., Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Oncology, Inc., Sumitovant Biopharma, and their respective subsidiaries by providing professional shared services expertise to achieve greater efficiencies and enable discovery, development, and commercialization of innovative treatments to help patients. The SDPA Legal and Compliance Affairs team is staffed with approximately 35 experienced professionals who provide a broad range of strategic legal and compliance services to each of these affiliates, including Commercial Law, Contracts, Employment Law, Intellectual Property, Corporate Governance, Litigation and Business Development.

Essential Functions Required for Job

• Supervise and direct the work of outside counsel regarding U.S. and foreign patent and commercial litigation to enable the development of creative strategies to support business objectives.
• Counsel management on domestic and international litigation matters.
• Under the leadership of the Associate General Counsel, Legal Affairs help to develop and set the company’s litigation strategy.
• Additional responsibilities as assigned.

Minimum Education, Experience, Knowledge and Skills Required

• JD; preferred undergraduate or master’s degree in biology, chemistry or biochemistry.
• 8+ years as an attorney. Required experience in a law firm with patent pre-trial and trial experience in U.S. District Courts for life science clients. Preferred experience in the legal department of a pharmaceutical or biotech company working on both patent and commercial litigation matters.
• Sound judgment, acumen, drive and commitment to ethical conduct.
• Demonstrated ability to (i) understand and digest complex scenarios in order to identify relevant issues and risks, (ii) propose solutions that take into consideration the relevant business objectives and (iii) communicate those issues, risks and solutions clearly and concisely to lawyers and non-lawyers alike.
• Exceptional presentation and communication skills, both written and verbal, including the ability to communicate complex legal issues in a simple, understandable manner with colleagues of varying legal knowledge across the company.
• Ability to work independently and to be reliable, responsive and accountable.
• Team player with a commitment to developing strong collaborative relationships. Ability to organize, coordinate and motivate cross-functional teams.
• Ability to effectively manage outside counsel and adhere to a budget.
• Ability to handle multiple responsibilities simultaneously and still meet high quality and timeliness standards under pressure.