Brown Rudnick LLP is pleased to announce that Robert C. Funsten has joined the firm’s Orange County office as a partner and co-chair of the Global Life Sciences Group. Prior to joining Brown Rudnick, Mr. Funsten was a partner and co-chair of Bingham’s Life Sciences Practice.

Mr. Funsten is the second lateral addition to the Orange County office in as many months, following Numan J. Siddiqi who joined the Firm as a partner in the global Corporate Practice. This is also the sixth high profile corporate partner to join Brown Rudnick’s US and London offices this year.

As an advisor to the life sciences and healthcare sectors, Mr. Funsten’s clients include medical device, diagnostic, pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical and biomedical companies. He has extensive experience in licensing and development deals, strategic alliances and collaborations, mergers and acquisitions, private and public securities and debt offerings, and other business transactions. He also counsels companies on intellectual property and litigation strategies.

Mr. Funsten also brings a wealth of important in-house industry experience, having served previously as the senior vice president, general counsel and secretary of Watson Pharmaceuticals (now Actavis Group), a multibillion-dollar specialty pharmaceutical company. He also served as vice president and general counsel of Chiron Vision Corporation (acquired by Bausch & Lomb), an ophthalmic medical device company, and corporate secretary of Ista Pharmaceuticals, a branded pharmaceutical company (now part of Bausch & Lomb).

“We are delighted to welcome Rob to the Firm,” said Joseph F. Ryan, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Brown Rudnick. “While our Orange County office, formally Rus, Miliband & Smith, has long been recognized for its excellence in complex commercial litigation, our strategic plan for that office includes developing a strong corporate and life sciences presence as well. An experienced industry advisor with sophisticated expertise, Rob will enhance greatly our life sciences practice in Orange County and firm-wide.”

Sam Williams, Managing Director of Brown Rudnick’s Corporate & Capital Markets Department, added, “Brown Rudnick continues to expand our global footprint in life sciences, from our offices in London to California. With over twenty years of industry experience, Rob will be a tremendous asset to our clients who themselves are industry leaders delivering cutting edge developments.”

“Rob has been a major player and contributor to the life sciences industry in California and beyond,” said Ron Rus, head of Brown Rudnick’s Orange County office. “He brings a depth of knowledge and experience that have made him a highly respected and sought-after advisor.”

“We are very excited to add Rob, a recognized leader in the life science space, to our growing international life science practice,” said Brown Rudnick partner Thomas C. Meyers, co-chair of the Global Life Sciences Group.

“I am very pleased to be joining Brown Rudnick,” said Mr. Funsten. “The firm’s strategic focus on the life sciences industry as a key contributor to its growth is very attractive. The life sciences attorneys here have a true understanding, and a depth of knowledge and experience in the life sciences that is not readily found in other law firms. The firm also has an entrepreneurial, practical business approach that I believe my clients and other life sciences companies will find very attractive.”

Mr. Funsten received his B.A., magna cum laude, from the University of California, Los Angeles and his J.D. from Stanford Law School.

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