Collaboration and licensing disputes
Many life sciences companies depend on agreements with universities, partners, and contract manufacturers, and disputes often arise over whether a milestone was met, how royalties are calculated, or whether a party used the level of effort the contract required. Those terms are often defined in the agreement, and the definitions frequently decide the case. Many such agreements send disputes to arbitration or to a specific court. Termination rights, and what happens to data and licenses afterward, raise questions of their own. Reading the dispute resolution clause comes before any other step. Notice and cure provisions may also have to be followed before a party can terminate or sue, and skipping them can weaken an otherwise strong position.
Trade secrets and intellectual property
Scientists and executives move between companies, and claims of misappropriated trade secrets often follow them. Both federal law and New York law allow claims for trade secret misappropriation, though New York has not adopted the uniform trade secrets act that most states use and relies on its own case law instead. Patent disputes between brand manufacturers and generic or biosimilar makers follow specialized procedures under federal law. Inventorship and ownership questions can surface when work was shared between collaborators. Preserving lab notebooks, email, and data access logs early is important for either side.
Investor claims and the record
When a company's stock falls after a trial readout or a regulatory decision, shareholder lawsuits may follow, alleging that earlier public statements were misleading. These cases depend on what the company said, what it knew, and when it knew it. Regulatory correspondence, internal data, and the minutes of meetings with the agency are often central evidence. Insiders' trading around the announcement can draw separate attention from regulators. In a first conversation we identify the claims, the forum, the deadlines, and what must be preserved. We then discuss the realistic paths, including early resolution where it makes sense for the business.
