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Stephen Thau

Partner

New York

Silicon Valley

Stephen Thau is co-chair of the Life Sciences Group at Orrick and is a partner in the firm's Technology Companies Group. He is a strategic advisor to life sciences and technology companies, guiding them through various milestones of their life cycle.

Stephen’s practice focuses on the representation of life science, medical device, health IT, and other technology companies in transactional matters, including public and private financings, licensing, collaborations and strategic alliances, and mergers and acquisitions. He also represents venture capital firms in public and private financing transactions.

Stephen is recognized as a Leading Life Sciences Lawyer by LMG Life Sciences in their 2021/2022 rankings and short-listed as Venture Capital Attorney of the Year. He has served as a member of the Board of Tech Council of Maryland, the leading technology and life science association in that state, and of BayBio, Northern California’s leading life sciences association. Stephen is a frequent speaker on venture capital financings and served on the faculty at the 2005 and 2007 Emerging Entrepreneurs workshops at Stanford University.

Prior to joining Orrick, Stephen was a partner at Morrison & Foerster, Venture Law Group and Heller Ehrman. He began his legal practice as a litigator, focusing on securities and intellectual property. ;He also served as a law clerk to the Hon. Vaughn R. Walker in the United States District Court in the Northern District of California. Stephen graduated Order of the Coif from Stanford Law School, where he was managing editor of the Stanford Law Review, and graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College in Biology.

 

  • Selected Private Company Equity Financings

    • Aledade in its Series A, Series B, Series C, Series D and Series E financings 
    • Scribe Therapeutics in its Series A and Series B financing 
    • Neuspera Medical in its Series A, Series B and Series C financings 
    • Accompany Health in its Series A financing 
    • BioEclipse in its Series A financing 
    • Astellas Pharma in the formation and financing of Kanyos Bio, Inc., a company created through Astellas’ collaboration with Anokion SA.

    Selected Public Company Financings

    • Clover Health in its $3.7 billion de-SPAC transaction 
    • Menlo Therapeutics in its $119 initial public offering 
    • Catalyst Biosciences in its $115 million public offering 
    • DURECT Corporation in all of its public financing transactions, including its $92.4 million initial public offering, $37 million follow-on offering, $60 million 144A convertible debt offering and $10 million registered direct offering

    Selected Mergers and Acquisitions

    • Catalyst Biosciences $60 million asset sale to Vertex Pharmaceutials and reverse merger with GNI group 
    • Baxano, Inc. in its acquisition by TranS1 
    • CNS Therapeutics, Inc. in its approximately $100 million sale to the Mallinckrodt division of Covidien 
    • Leaf Healthcare in its acquisition by Smith & Nephew 
    • Spitfire Pharma, Inc. in its sale to Altimmune

    Selected Licensing and Collaborations

    • Catalyst Biosciences, in its collaboration with Isu Abxis to develop Factor IX candidate for the prevention/treatment of bleeding in hemophilia B patients 
    • Threshold Pharmaceuticals, in its $550 million license and co-development agreement with Merck KGaA 
    • Hansen Medical in $20 million license agreement amendment with Intuitive Surgical