Managing Partner
Scott B. Townsend, Esq. Managing Partner
Scott B. Townsend provides External GC Law Group clients the benefit of his experience in life sciences as a business lawyer. Having served as the General Counsel of three public life science companies and as a corporate lawyer in private practice at several AM LAW 100 law firms, Mr. Townsend has advised companies regarding the day-to-day business and legal issues facing companies in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries.
Mr. Townsend has experience in contract negotiations, structuring commercial transactions (including manufacturing, collaboration, co-promotion, license, strategic alliance, and distribution agreements), clinical trials, licensing, technology transfer, compliance/corporate governance and mergers and acquisitions.
From August 2012 to June 2015, Mr. Townsend served as General Counsel, SVP of Legal Affairs and Secretary for AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and then served as a Senior Advisor until January 2016. From January 2010 to August 2012, Mr. Townsend served as Managing Partner of External GC Law Group, working with life science companies ranging from venture-backed startups to a global biopharmaceutical company. From October 2008 to June 2009, Mr. Townsend served as the General Counsel, EVP of Legal Affairs and Secretary for Cornerstone Therapeutics Inc., a publicly-traded specialty pharmaceutical company. From August 2004 to October 2008, he served as General Counsel, SVP of Legal Affairs and Secretary for Critical Therapeutics, Inc., a publicly-traded biopharmaceutical company.
Prior to going in-house in August 2004, he served as a Junior Partner in the Corporate Department at Hale and Dorr LLP (now Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP). He also served as a corporate lawyer at Goodwin Procter LLP in Boston, MA and Kilpatrick Stockton LLP in North Carolina. While in private practice, he advised private and public life sciences and technology companies on a variety of transactions, including venture financings, M&A and public offerings.
While at AMAG Pharmaceuticals, he provided legal advice on a variety of day-to-day legal and business matters as well as strategic transactions, including its acquisition of Lumara Health Inc. and its product MAKENA(R) in 2014, a variety of manufacturing and supply agreements, clinical trials in a variety of countries, and financings of over $1 billion in equity and debt.
While at Hale and Dorr LLP, he advised Critical Therapeutics, Inc. in its $56 million venture financing in 2003 and its $42 million initial public offering in 2004 and then as General Counsel advised Critical Therapeutics in its $54 million PIPE, $20 million registered direct financing, its two co-promotion agreements for marketed drugs (which included $12 million in up-fronts and milestones), and a variety of manufacturing, distribution, licensing and vendor agreements.
Mr. Townsend served as the Co-Chair of the advisory board of a business incubator and served as a board member of several non-profits. He has delivered presentations to business groups on a variety of topics, including venture capital financing, M&A, technology transfer and public offerings.
Mr. Townsend received his J.D. from The University of Virginia School of Law and his A.B. magna cum laude from Bowdoin College with a double-major in Economics and Government and Legal Studies.
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