Branden C. Berns is a partner in the San Francisco office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, where he practices in the firm's Corporate Transactions Practice Group, focusing on representing leading life sciences companies and investors. Mr. Berns advises clients in connection with a variety of financing transactions, including initial public offerings, secondary equity offerings and venture and growth equity financings, as well as complex corporate transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, asset sales, spin-offs, joint ventures, PIPEs and leveraged buyouts. Mr. Berns regularly serves as principal outside counsel for numerous publicly-traded companies and advises management and boards of directors on corporate law matters, SEC reporting and corporate governance.
Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Mr. Berns was an associate in the Corporate Department of Davis Polk & Wardwell in New York. Mr. Berns earned his Juris Doctor in 2012 from Columbia Law School, where he was recognized each year as a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and served as Submissions Editor of the Columbia Business Law Review. Mr. Berns graduated from Brigham Young University in 2008 with a Bachelor of Science in Economics.
Recent accolades include:
- The 2024 Lawdragon 500 X - The Next Generation - Corporate, esp. Life Sciences
- LMG Life Sciences – Life Science Star (2023); US Rising Star (Shortlisted) – Financial & Corporate (2022)
- Euromoney’s Americas Rising Stars – Life Sciences (2022)
Mr. Berns’ selected experience includes:
- Initial Public Offerings: Apogee Therapeutics, Rain Therapeutics, Shattuck Labs, 89bio, Progenity, Forterra, Endochoice, Spark Therapeutics, Intrawest Resorts, Springleaf Holdings, Hilton Worldwide, Mavenir Systems
- Follow-on Equity Offerings: Spyre Therapeutics, QuidelOrtho, Apogee Therapeutics, Shattuck Labs, MoonLake Immunotherapeutics, Biora Therapeutics, Viridian Therapeutics, Protagonist Therapeutics, CTI BioPharma, Assertio Holdings, Progenity, Cogent Biosciences, Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical, 89bio, Odonate Therapeutics, Rockwell Medical, Heska Corporation, Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, Heron Therapeutics, Rocket Pharmaceuticals, Zayo Group, Chimerix
- PIPE Offerings: Jade Biosciences, Crescent Biopharma, Oruka Therapeutics, Cidara Therapeutics, Inhibikase Therapeutics, Cogent Biosciences, Relay Therapeutics, Immunic, Shattuck Labs, Viridian Therapeutics, Neurogene, Mirum Therapeutics, Spyre Therapeutics, Dianthus Therapeutics, NLS Pharmaceutics, Heron Therapeutics, MoonLake Immunotherapeutics, Convert Pharmaceuticals, Progenity
- ATM Facilities: Gyre Therapeutics, Dianthus Therapeutics, Spyre Therapeutics, Apogee Therapeutics, MoonLake Immunotherapeutics, Protagonist Therapeutics, Shattuck Labs, Rain Therapeutics, Assertio Holdings, Progenity, Ultragenyx, Viridian Therapeutics, 89bio, Odonate, Cogent Biosciences, CTI BioPharma, Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, Urovant Sciences, Rockwell Medical
- Venture Financings / Minority Investments: Sling Therapeutics - Series A, Oruka Therapeutics - Series A, Pheon Therapeutics - Series B, AltruBio - Series B, Spyre Therapeutics - Series A, Apogee Therapeutics - Series B, Cullgen - Series C, Perceive Biotherapeutics - Series B, Ellodi Pharmaceuticals - Series B, Structure Therapeutics - Series B, Shattuck Labs - Series B and B-1, Jaanuu - Series B, Progenity - Series B, Hazeltree - Series 3, Waterloo - Series D, Vasaragen Therapeutics - Series A, Bandier - Series E, Levo Therapeutics - Series Seed, Pangaea Holdings - Series B
Mergers and Acquisitions:
- Immedica Pharma AB acquisition of Marinus Pharmaceuticals
- XOMA Royalty acquisition of Pulmokine
- Cullgen in its business combination with Pulmatrix
- Jade Biosciences in its business combination with Aerovate Therapeutics
- Crescent Biopharma in its business combination with GlycoMimetics
- Alcon in its sale of rights to Alcon eye drops in China to OcuMension
- CTI BioPharma in its $1.7 billion sale to Sobi
- Neurogene in its business combination transaction with Neoleukin Therapeutics
- Spyre Therapeutics in its business combination transaction with Aeglea BioTherapeutics
- Rain Oncology in its sale to Pathos AI
- Natera in its acquisition of prenatal screening assets from Invitae
- Mirum Pharmaceuticals in its acquisition of Cholbam® and Chenodal® from Travere Therapeutics
- CohBar in its business combination transaction with Morphogenesis
- Argenta Global in its acquisition of Midwest Veterinary Services
- Dianthus Therapeutics in its business combination transaction with Magenta Therapeutics
- Spectrum Pharmaceuticals in its sale to Assertio Holdings
- Concentra Biosciences in its acquisition of Jounce Therapeutics
- GNI Group in its sale of F351 assets to Catalyst Biosciences
- Beijing Continent in its business combination transaction with Catalyst Biosciences
- Quidel in its $6 billion acquisition of Ortho Clinical Diagnostics
- La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company in its sale to Innoviva
- SomaLogic in its acquisition of Palamedrix
- MoonLake Immunotherapeutics in its business combination transaction with Helix Acquisition Corp
- KKR in its investment, with Ampersand Capital Partners, in Alliance Pharma
- US WorldMeds in sale of its CNS Portfolio to Supernus
- KKR in its investment in Biosynth Carbosynth and Biosynth Carbosynth's acquisition of vivitide
- Assertio Therapeutics in its merger with Zyla Life Sciences
- US WorldMeds in its sale of ZELNORM™ to Alfasigma USA
- Progenity in its sale of Avero Labs to Northwest Pharmaceuticals
- WillowTree in its sale to Insignia Capital Group
- eSalon.com in its joint venture with Henkel AG & Co.
- Represented strategic acquirors such as Roivant Sciences, Natera, S&P Global, IHS Markit, Zayo Group, Summit Materials, Diploma PLC, Vail Resorts in over 25 completed add-on acquisitions
Capabilities
- Mergers and Acquisitions
- Capital Markets
- Life Sciences
- Private Equity
- Royalty Finance
- Securities Regulation and Corporate Governance
Credentials
Education:
- Columbia University - 2012 Juris Doctor
- Brigham Young University - 2008 Bachelor of Science
Admissions:
- California Bar
- Colorado Bar
- New York Bar