Firm Hires for Executive Jobs in Boston

Posted on January 30, 2011

An established firm has secured a hire for executive jobs in Boston, according to a press release.

McCarter & English announced today that intellectual property attorney, Evelyn D. Shen, has joined the firm as special counsel.

“We are so pleased to welcome someone with Evelyn’s qualifications to the firm,” said Elizabeth A. Hanley, chair of the Intellectual Property/Information Technology Practice at McCarter & English. “Evelyn has experience in providing practical options and strategic business advice at all stages of research, discovery, development and commercialization of products, particularly pharmaceuticals. Her experience will enhance our premier and growing intellectual property practice.”

Ms. Shen has more than 16 years of intellectual property law experience, including 12 years as in-house counsel for top 20 pharmaceutical companies. She helps researchers and executives optimize their return on investments, using her experience in establishing a risk management framework, global portfolio strategy and development, and alliance transactions. Ms. Shen performs IP audits and negotiates IP-related agreements. She has counseled multi-disciplinary teams to establish corporate best practices, to evaluate licensing opportunities, and to integrate acquisitions of up to $4 billion. In private law firm practice, she has represented universities, hospitals, start-up companies and established companies.

“I am thrilled to be joining McCarter’s dynamic and growing IP practice,” said Ms. Shen. “The firm’s team-oriented philosophy and the collaboration among attorneys and departments, makes McCarter stand out from other law firms. McCarter will also enable me to work on a flexible schedule, another rarity in leading law firms.”

Ms. Shen’s significant in-house counsel background includes senior patent counsel for Johnson & Johnson Corporate and associate general counsel for Eisai, Inc. She led a US IP department at a global pharmaceutical company, which was responsible for more than half of the company’s pharmaceutical pipeline, including global prosecution and product portfolio management. She was a founding member of a global IP steering committee and successfully introduced and integrated the US IP function into the global and regional business units.

Ms. Shen earned her Juris Doctorate from Boston University School of Law, her M.S. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and her B.A. from Harvard College. She is a member of the American Intellectual Property Law Association, the Boston Patent Law Association and the Women’s Bar Association. She joins the firm from Eisai, Inc. where she was Associate General Counsel. In 2009, Ms. Shen was honored as a New England In-House Massachusetts Lawyer’s Weekly “In-House Leader in the Law.” Ms Shen has always enjoyed mentoring students interested in patent law, and she is currently mentoring students at Andover High School.