Morgan Lewis adds in-house labor leader Sara Kalis in Chicago. September 18, 2026 CHICAGO, September 21, 2026: Morgan Lewis continues to expand its nationally recognized labor and employment practice with the addition of partner Sara Kalis, resident in the firm's Chicago office. Sara joins the firm's labor-management relations team following senior in-house legal roles at Amazon, where she helped build the company's traditional labor function and was pivotal in high-profile labor relations matters. She also brings a significant private practice background representing employers in collective bargaining, labor strategy, and National Labor Relations Act matters. "Sara's distinctive perspective shaped by advising on labor strategy from both inside a major global company and in private practice will be a valuable asset to our clients and our firm," said Firm Chair-Elect David McManus. "Her practice operates at the intersection of legal, workforce, and business priorities - a powerful combination that will benefit clients." Sara focuses her practice on traditional labor law, advising employers on matters spanning collective bargaining, union organizing, representation proceedings, unfair labor practices, labor compliance, and labor strategy. Her practice also includes counseling clients on labor issues arising in mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, and other corporate transactions, including bargaining obligations and labor-related transaction planning. "More and more, traditional labor issues are intertwined with broader business strategy, from collective bargaining and union organizing to transformational corporate events," said Michael Puma, leader of the firm's global labor and employment practice. "Sara's extensive experience across these areas deepens our labor-management relations team and bolsters our expanding labor offerings for clients - both traditional and novel." Sara's arrival further enhances one of the largest and most established traditional labor practices in the United States, which includes two former National Labor Relations Board chairmen, John Ring and Philip Miscimarra, and former NLRB member Harry Johnson. Her arrival follows recent key additions to the firm's labor and employment practice, including labor relations and litigation partners James La Rocca in New York, Benjamin Davis in Miami, and Katherine (Kat) Gibson in London and the return of partners Donald (Donny) E. English, Jr. in Washington, DC and Jason Mills in Los Angeles.

Morgan Lewis IP litigation team named finalist for 2026 DC Legal Awards. September 03, 2026 WASHINGTON, DC, September 3, 2026: Morgan Lewis has been named a finalist in the Litigation Department of the Year - Intellectual Property category of the 2026 DC Legal Awards, which recognize lawyers and law firms that have made significant contributions to the Washington, DC, legal community over the past year. Finalists in the Litigation Department of the Year - Intellectual Property category are evaluated on the importance and complexity of five matters, the caliber of opposing counsel, and the ingenuity and diligence demonstrated in handling those matters. Morgan Lewis's intellectual property litigators handle high-stakes disputes involving patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and other intellectual property rights across a wide range of technologies and industries. The team represents clients in complex trial and appellate litigation involving major product lines, market access, and proprietary technology and regularly appears before federal district courts, the US International Trade Commission, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, and US Customs and Border Protection. Winners will be announced at an awards dinner in Washington, DC, on October 20.

Morgan Lewis adds Andres Liivak in Boston, deepening its strong life sciences transactions capabilities. September 01, 2026 BOSTON, September 1, 2026: Morgan Lewis is strengthening its global life sciences transactional capabilities with the addition of Andres Liivak as a partner in the firm's corporate and business transactions practice in Boston. He joins from an international law firm where he was global co-leader of the life sciences healthcare team. Andres advises life sciences and technology companies on complex transactions involving the development, manufacturing, and commercialization of products and technologies, with a particular focus on biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and medical devices. "The development and commercialization of life sciences products increasingly depend on strategic partnerships that bring together capital, technology, intellectual property, and regulatory considerations," said Firm Chair Jami McKeon. "Andres has built his practice around these critical intersections, and his arrival reflects our continued investment in the transactional capabilities that support life sciences companies as they bring innovative products and technologies to market globally." Andres counsels companies on strategic alliances, collaboration and license agreements, joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, investments, and other complex commercial arrangements. His practice spans transactions involving product discovery and development, manufacturing and supply, commercialization, intellectual property, and regulatory considerations. Andres advises established pharmaceutical and technology companies, emerging biotechnology companies, medical device companies, and investors on domestic and cross-border transactions. "Boston is one of the world's most important centers for biotechnology, pharmaceutical research, healthcare, and innovation," said Firm Chair-Elect David McManus. "Andres brings a distinctive understanding of the full product life cycle, from discovery and development through manufacturing and commercialization, further enhancing the multidisciplinary capabilities of our global life sciences practice." "Andres has spent his career at the forefront of sophisticated collaborations, licensing arrangements, and other transactions central to the development and commercialization of innovative life sciences products and technologies," said Laurie Cerveny, leader of Morgan Lewis's corporate and business transactions practice. "His command of these matters further broadens our transactional offering and creates new opportunities for collaboration across our corporate and life sciences practices." Andres's arrival further builds on Morgan Lewis's continued investment in its global corporate and life sciences platforms, including the additions of European M&A head Philip Cheveley, European PE head Gemma Roberts, and life sciences transactions partner Luciana Griebel in London; life sciences IP partners Hiroshi Sheraton and Tim Powell in London; and life sciences regulatory partners Jackie Mulryne in London, Alexander Meier in Munich, and Bart Jong in Brussels.