Of Counsel David Roper Brings In-House and Private Practice Experience to Firm.
PHILADELPHIA, June 25, 2007 - Montgomery McCracken announced today that David Roper has joined the firm as of counsel to the Business Department. Roper's practice, to which he offers extensive in-house and client experience, will focus on a broad array of areas within the pharmaceutical industry with a specific focus on transactional matters. This is the most recent lateral hire the firm has made to bolster its capabilities in the pharmaceutical field, including its intellectual property capabilities.
Immediately prior to joining Montgomery McCracken, Roper was engaged as an independent contractor on a full-time basis by a leading international pharmaceutical company headquartered in New York to serve as outside counsel and provide ongoing counseling and legal services to a team of in-house personnel that was responsible for product development initiatives and for supporting the research and development of new drugs. For eleven years prior to that engagement, Roper served as in-house counsel in several chemical and pharmaceutical companies, including U.S. subsidiaries of European-owned companies. His in-house experience includes serving as Associate General Counsel at DuPont Pharmaceuticals Company, as Chief Patent Counsel at Avecia Inc., and as Senior Attorney, Intellectual Property at Zeneca Inc.
While his broad legal experience ranges from general client counseling to patent preparation and prosecution, licensing and other transactional work, Roper's experience serving as in-house and outside counsel brings a distinct viewpoint to clients in the pharmaceutical industry and the ability to work closely and effectively with in-house personnel.
"There's been a huge spike in opportunities for intellectual property and patent law specifically in the pharmaceutical domain this year," said chair of Montgomery McCracken's Intellectual Property practice, Evelyn McConathy. "It's no longer just a regional issue, either. We've seen expansion on a national scale, and we know that David's experience in this niche area will make MMWR a more competitive player in the industry."
Roper graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. degree in Chemistry from Furman University in 1981, and from there, went on to earn his J.D. degree from the University of Chicago in 1984. He then pursued his Master of Divinity degree at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he graduated in 1987. He is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, Kentucky and is registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
About Montgomery McCracken
Headquartered in downtown Philadelphia, Montgomery, McCracken, Walker & Rhoads, LLP is a full service law firm founded more than 90 years ago. With offices in New Jersey and Delaware, in Berwyn and West Chester in Pennsylvania, the firm has created a strong regional presence with an established national practice.
# # #