Jeffrey Libson is the head of the firm's Life Sciences practice and is a partner in the Corporate and Securities practice group. Mr. Libson's practice is devoted primarily to the areas of securities law, venture capital, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, intellectual property, and the commercialization of pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, and diagnostics products.  He represents a number of publicly-traded and closely-held life science companies in ongoing representations, as outside general counsel. In addition, he represents institutional investors and a number of non-profit entities that support the life sciences community.

Mr. Libson is listed in The Best Lawyers in America in the specialties of Biotechnology Law and Venture Capital Law. He also is listed in Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business for his expertise in mergers and acquisitions and private equity representations.

Mr. Libson is the secretary and a member of the board of directors of Pennsylvania Bio and is also is active in the community. He was the co-chairman of the 2005 Mid-Atlantic Venture Conference as well as the co-chairman of the 2004 and 2003 Biotech Symposia jointly hosted by Pennsylvania Bio and BioNJ. He also was the inaugural co-chairman of the 2003 Early Stage East Bio-Life-Tech venture capital conference. He is a recipient of the Entrepreneurial Advocate Award given in connection with the Northeastern Pennsylvania Ben Franklin Innovation Awards.

Mr. Libson is an adjunct professor at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he teaches a graduate-level business course on life sciences entrepreneurship. He also is an adjunct professor at the Lehigh University School of Business and Economics where he teaches a graduate level business course on venture capital financing.  Mr. Libson received his J.D. from Duke University in 1981, where he was a member of the Order of the Coif. He is a 1976 graduate of Oberlin College.

James Marino, the managing partner of the Princeton office of Dechert LLP, is chair of the corporate and securities life science group.  With more than 25 years of experience, Mr. Marino focuses his practice on representing public and privately-held life sciences companies, including biotechnology, medical device, health care, and pharmaceuticals, in the full range of corporate, transactional, and finance matters.

Recognized by leading legal directory Chambers USA as a "leading light" in the life sciences industry for his work in the corporate and securities field, Mr. Marino regularly represents numerous life sciences companies in corporate transactions and governance matters. He also counsels boards of directors and special committees of life sciences companies on issues ranging from fiduciary duties, conflict of interest, and securities compliance to executive compensation and interested party transactions.

Mr. Marino has extensive experience advising life sciences companies in public offerings and private placements of equity, including IPOs and follow-on offerings, PIPEs, early- and later-state venture capital financings.  In addition, he has structured and negotiated innovative strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, spin-offs, and joint ventures for numerous life sciences companies.

In 1994, Mr. Marino was one of the founders of the BioNJ, a New Jersey-based trade association of biotechnology companies, and has represented BioNJ since that date.

Mr. Marino served as a member of former Governor Kean's Task Force on Capital for New Technologies, former New Jersey Governor James Florio's Task Force on Financing Strategies for New Jersey, and the Capital Sources Committee of Prosperity New Jersey. He served as Chair of the Board of Trustees of Middlesex County College.  He was also a trustee and treasurer of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and a former member of the New Jersey State Board of Higher Education. Mr. Marino served for over a decade as a member of the Board of Directors of Pharmacopeia Drug Discovery, Inc.

Mr. Marino graduated magna cum laude from Rutgers University, in 1972 and received his M.B.A. from Rutgers in 1976.  He received his J.D. in 1979 from Rutgers University School of Law, Newark, NJ.