Brian D. Doerner is a Practice Co-Leader of the Mergers and Acquisitions Group. Brian also is the former Chair of the Business and Transactions Department, former Co-Leader of the Life Sciences Industry Group, and he served for six months as the interim general counsel for a NYSE-listed multinational company.
Brian has over 30 years of experience representing both public and private companies in mergers and acquisitions, restructurings, cross-border transactions, and corporate governance matters. He has negotiated numerous strategic alliances and licensing agreements for life sciences, technology, manufacturing, and other companies. In the area of securities law, Brian has handled numerous private placements, private equity transactions, tender offers, initial public offerings, follow-on offerings, and 144A transactions.
After receiving his M.B.A. and before attending law school, Brian worked at IBM.
Experience
Representative Matters
- Advised DuPont in the merger of IFF and DuPont’s Nutrition & Biosciences Business in a reverse Morris Trust transaction, leading a team which negotiated numerous supply agreements and service agreements and handled diligence and certain other aspects of the merger
- Represented Spark Therapeutics in a collaboration and license agreement with a publicly traded Swedish biotechnology company for a gene therapy product to treat drug-resistant focal epilepsy
- Represented DuPont in the negotiation and preparation of more than 200 product manufacturing and services agreements in connection with the separation of DuPont into three separate publicly traded companies
Professional Highlights
Judicial Clerkships
Hon. James L. Latchum, Senior Judge, U.S. District Court for the State of Delaware
Professional Activities
Entrepreneurs' Forum, past President and Director
Philadelphia Bar Association, Business Law Section
Recognition & Accomplishments
Chambers USA, corporate/M&A and private equity law, (Pennsylvania), 2010-2022
The Best Lawyers in America, securities/capital markets law, 2013-2022; "Lawyer of the Year," Securities/Capital Markets Law (Philadelphia), 2014
The Legal 500 US, mergers, acquisitions and buyouts - M&A: middle-market, 2016, 2018-2021
Named "Highly Regarded—Pennsylvania" by IFLR 1000 for M&A, 2019-2021
Speaking Engagements
Brian has lectured extensively on mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, and other legal issues.
Board Memberships & Community Service
Life Sciences PA, Board Advocacy Committee
People's Light & Theatre Company, Former President, Honorary Board of Trustees
Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) Philadelphia, Past Board Member
Credentials
Education
University of Pennsylvania Law School (J.D., cum laude)
Senior Editor, University of Pennsylvania Law Review; Member, Order of the Coif
University of Michigan (M.B.A., with honors)
Member, Beta Gamma Sigma
University of Delaware (B.A., magna cum laude)
Admissions
Pennsylvania