Biographies

Lily guides biotechnology companies in the negotiation of complex product development and commercialization transactions and uses her extensive experience to arrive at pragmatic, client-driven solutions. She advises early and mid-stage companies, many in the cell and gene-therapy space and assists both drug sponsors and contract development and manufacture organizations, with supply-chain documentation for clinical and commercial manufacture and supply arrangements for both biologics and small molecules. Lily also represents public and private companies in strategic collaborations, product licensing, and distribution and co-promotion agreements.

Lily is Chairperson of the firm’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

experience +

experience –

New York Branch of UBS

Director and Counsel

Represented the bank in connection with domestic and international syndicated loan and complex financings

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett

Corporate Department Associate

Represented both international and domestic lending institutions and borrowers in connection with banking and project finance transactions

Sidley Austin

Member of business transactions group

Recent Client work +

RECeNT CLIENT WORK –

Advising Bicara Therapeutics, Inc., a Boston-based subsidiary of Biocon Biologics focused on the development of a pipeline of bifunctional antibodies that exploit recent advances in immuno-oncology, in establishing customized CMC supply chain documentation
Representation of investor syndicate led by 5AM Venture Management in the negotiation of a development and manufacturing agreement for clinical supply of an exclusively in-licensed drug product for the treatment of respiratory diseases
Advising Anthos Therapeutics, a Blackstone Life Sciences and Novartis biotechnology company, in the negotiation of a global process development and manufacturing arrangement with Lonza Group AG
Representation of Rheos Medicines, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company launched by Third Rock Ventures and focused on developing novel medicines that modulate immune cell metabolism, in establishing and negotiating comprehensive legal documentation for early-stage non-clinical and clinical services, with both academic and non-academic institutions
Representation of ImmunoGen Inc., a biotechnology company focused on the development of antibody-drug conjugate therapeutics for the treatment of cancer, in the drafting and negotiation of multiple development, clinical manufacturing, and commercial manufacturing agreements
Advising Atara Biotherapeutics with respect to manufacturing and clinical supply documentation in connection with an exclusive license of clinical-stage T-cell therapy technology from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Exclusive worldwide license and collaboration agreement between Gilead Sciences, Inc. and GlobeImmune, Inc. for the development and commercialization of therapeutic vaccine products for use in conjunction with oral therapies for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection

Community +

Community –

Member of Harvard Law School Women’s Association of New York
Volunteer with Montclair, New Jersey Township’s Advisory Committee for People with Disabilities
Panelist – 7th Annual ACI Conference on Women Leaders in Life Sciences Law – Pre-conference Workshop – Career Advancement Boot Camp: Employing Strategies for Communication, Negotiation and Management (Nov. 16, 2020)
Speaker - Faber Webinar – Manufacturing Agreements During the COVID-19 Pandemic (May 4, 2020)
Panelist – Celebration 60 – Harvard Law School – Leaders for Change – Returning to the Workforce: A Panel Highlighting Successful Re-entry Experiences (Sept. 27, 2013)

Bar Admissions

New York

Education

‍Harvard Law School, J.D.
University of Minnesota, B.A., summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa

Language

Spanish

Lily

Vakili

Principal

Industry Experience