Episode 45-Building a Life Sciences Practice From the Ground Up

Counsel to Counsel - Career Advice for Lawyers

In this episode I speak with Dave Dykeman, a Co-Managing Partner of the Boston office of Greenberg Traurig. Dave and I met almost 20 years ago, not long after he moved to Boston and since that time I’ve watched his career take off as he has successfully built an IP practice in the life sciences.

Whenever I coach lawyers on marketing and business development, my starting point is getting my clients to define their ideal client. While this doesn’t always include what industries they serve, having an industry focus is a good way to differentiate yourself.

In a crowded marketplace for legal services, it is critical to define your niche and find ways to make yourself memorable. While work ultimately comes from the relationships you build with clients, potential clients and referral sources, “choosing your lane” is the best starting point.

My guest, Dave Dykeman, is someone who has not only clearly defined himself as a lawyer, but over the last two decades, he has done an outstanding job of building relationships that have been critical to his success. In this episode, we’ll be discussing how Dave built that reputation, grew his practice, and what it has been like to move into a management role at an AmLaw100 firm. He talks about coming to Boston, a city where he didn't know anyone.

David Dykeman, serves as Co-Managing Shareholder of Greenberg Traurig's Boston office and co-chairs the firm's global Life Sciences & Medical Technology Group. He is a registered patent attorney with more than 23 years of experience in patent and intellectual property law. David's practice focuses on securing worldwide intellectual property protection and related business strategy for high tech clients, with particular experience in life sciences, medical devices, robotics, materials, and information technology.

David provides strategic patent portfolio development and intellectual property advice for clients including major research institutions, multinational corporations, and start-up companies. He also performs patent due diligence to assess patent portfolios for venture capital investment, mergers and acquisitions, and licensing opportunities.

He is a prolific writer and speaker on intellectual property law. He is also someone who has held numerous leadership roles in bar associations, industry groups, and philanthropic organizations.

David is the founding co-chair of the ABA’s Medical Devices Committee. He was honored as one of Boston's "40 Under 40" innovative business leaders by the Boston Business Journal and was named to the "40 Medtech Innovators Under 40" list by Medical Device & Diagnostic Industry (MD+DI) Magazine. David has also been named one of the top 250 Patent and Technology Licensing Practitioners in the world by Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) Magazine, an "IP Star" by Managing IP magazine, a "Life Science Star" by LMG Life Sciences, one of the World's Leading IP Strategists in the IAM 300, and listed in Chambers as an IP practitioner.

Additional Resources

• Episode 39-An In-house Career in the Life Sciences
• 47 Inexpensive ways to Build Business Relationships
• Episode 18-Starting Business Conversations at Networking Functions and Beyond
• Defining Your Target is the First Step in Effective Marketing