Mr David MacDonald > Kirkland & Ellis LLP > New York, United States > Lawyer Profile

Kirkland & Ellis LLP
601 LEXINGTON AVENUE
NEW YORK, NY 10022
NEW YORK
United States

Position

David MacDonald focuses on intellectual property, pharmaceutical and technology transactions, including joint ventures, consortiums and strategic alliances. He regularly advises pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients on transactional matters, including licensing, marketing and co-promotion, supply and distribution, and other collaboration arrangements. He advises global technology companies on patent strategies, patent and software licensing (including settlement of patent litigation), and monetization (assertion, securitizations, trusts and investment funds). David also advises clients on the intellectual property issues that arise in mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, recapitalizations and bankruptcies. Since 2010, David has been included in Intellectual Asset Management magazine’s list of the world’s top 250 patent and technology licensing lawyers for his “cutting-edge expertise on how patent law issues complicate licensing deals” and his “impressive profile in IT outsourcing.” David has also been included in the IAM Patent 1000 since 2012, which describes him as “one of the pharmaceutical industry’s go-to deal brokers” and says he “manifests a rare faculty for facilitating complex collaborations and transactions between life sciences entities.” David was also highlighted in The Legal 500 United States 2012, 2015, 2017 and 2018 guides to leading U.S. law firms for business. David is the former Chair of the Transactions Involving IP Rights Committee of the ABA.

Memberships

American Bar Association (Former Chair of the Transactions Involving IP Rights Committee). International Association of Outsourcing Professionals.

Education

Rutgers School of Law at Newark, J.D., High Honors, 1997; Harvard University, B.A., Classics, 1991.

Lawyer Rankings

United States > Intellectual property > Patents: licensing

(Leading lawyers)

David MacDonald – Kirkland & Ellis LLP

Fielding a team that is experienced in patent licensing, patent portfolio management, and patent infringement litigation, Kirkland & Ellis LLP counts both patent licensors and licensees in its diverse roster of life sciences and tech clients. Key contacts in the team include tech M&A specialist Seth Traxler, who is based in Chicago, and John Lynn, who divides his time between San Francisco and Austin and advises on the tech, data protection, and AI elements of corporate and financing transactions. New York’s David MacDonald frequently works on technology transactions, licensing agreements on behalf of pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, and settlement agreements in patent litigation. In his dispute resolution-oriented practice, Chicago-based Russell Levine emphasizes patent infringement matters and disputes relating to technology transfer and patent licensing agreements. Los Angeles’ Ellisen Turner is a key name for complex patent licenses and technology transactions, and in New York, Shellie Freedman is adept at handling IP joint ventures and strategic alliances in addition to licensing matters.