Emily L. Rapalino

Emily Rapalino is a highly accomplished intellectual property litigator who brings a blend of scientific expertise and courtroom experience to complex life sciences industry disputes. A partner in Goodwin’s IP Litigation practice and a member of the firm’s Life Sciences Disputes team, she draws on advanced degrees in biology to navigate the scientific and technical nuances at the heart of pharmaceutical and biotechnology litigation. Emily played a key role in the trial win for Cephalon involving Treanda®, an oncology drug with annual sales reaching up to $800 million, where the court found in Cephalon’s favor on all asserted infringement claims. She also secured key victories for Teva in the Eloxatin® patent disputes, helping win summary judgment of non-infringement and for Sandoz in the Esbriet® patent dispute, allowing Sandoz to be first to market with its generic product. She advises clients on a broad range of pre-litigation and litigation matters, relying on her deep industry knowledge to secure the best business outcomes for her clients.

Emily earned her JD from Columbia Law School, where she was a member of the Columbia Law Review and a James Kent Scholar. She also holds an MSc. in Life Sciences from the Weizmann Institute of Science and an AB in Biology, cum laude, from Harvard University. She was honored as an LMG Life Sciences “Life Sciences Star” in 2022 and listed as one of The Best Lawyers in America for Litigation – Patent in 2022, 2023 and 2026. As co-chair of Goodwin’s Pro Bono Committee, Emily helps lead initiatives that expand access to justice and strengthen attorney development across the firm. Her ongoing pro bono work has included contributions to Lawyers for Good Government and representation of the Joyful Heart Foundation.

Emily’s recent engagements include:

• Concert Pharmaceuticals in inter partes review proceedings
• Fresenius Kabi USA LLC and Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc. in a patent infringement suit in the District of New Jersey and before the Federal Circuit in connection with the prostate cancer drug, Jevtana (cabazitaxel)
• Lupin Limited in a patent infringement suit in District of Delaware in connection with Antara, an anti-cholesterol fenofibrate product
• Lupin Limited in a patent infringement suit in District of New Jersey in connection with Prolensa, an ophthalmic anti-inflammatory drug
• Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc. in a patent infringement suit in District of Delaware in connection with a generic version of Genzyme’s stem cell mobilizing agent, Mozobil (plerixafor)
• Cephalon Inc. in a patent infringement suit in District of Delaware in connection with Treanda, an anti-cancer drug. After trial against five defendants, Cephalon prevailed in the district court on its claims of infringement against all defendants
• Fresenius Kabi USA LLC and Teva Parenteral Medicines Inc. in a patent infringement suit in the Southern District of Indiana in connection with Alimta, an anti-cancer drug
• Teva Pharmaceuticals in a patent infringement suit in District of New Jersey in connection with Prezista, an anti-HIV drug. Emily was involved in negotiating settlement of that case during trial
• Teva Pharmaceuticals in a patent infringement suit in connection with Lovenox, a blood thinning drug. Teva won summary judgment of non-infringement on two separate bases in Massachusetts District Court
• Teva Pharmaceuticals in a patent infringement suit in connection with Eloxatin, a colon cancer drug. After winning summary judgment of non-infringement in the New Jersey District Court, Teva prevailed in litigations in U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, clearing the way for the launch of its generic version of Eloxatin
• Supervision of pro bono Summer Associate Research Project for the Anti Defamation League
• Pro bono representation of the Joyful Heart Foundation in connection with its end-the-rape-kit-backlog initiative

Prior to joining Goodwin, Emily was an associate at Fish & Neave, where her practice concentrated on patent litigation, prosecution and counseling in the pharmaceutical, medical device, and biotechnology fields.

Emily was recognized by LMG Life Sciences as a “Life Sciences Star” in 2022.

Emily has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America Best Lawyers for her work in Litigation - Patent 2022 – 2023, 2026.

Emily is recognized by The Best Lawyers in America 2022 for her work in Patent Litigation.

Emily was a 2021 recommended lawyer for Patent litigation: full coverage by The Legal 500.

Emily was named to the 2021 The Best Lawyers in America.

While attending law school, Emily was a member of the Columbia Law Review and a James Kent Scholar. Emily was named a Massachusetts Super Lawyers “Rising Star” in 2013.

Emily co-authored an article on the fundamentals of patent opinion writing entitled, “Patent Opinion Basics” which appeared in a PLI course handbook for the program on Patent Basics for the Non-Specialist. She is also an editor of the Goodwin PTAB Trial Tracker monthly newsletter and a contributor to Big Molecule Watch, Goodwin’s biosimilar blog. Emily has also contributed to many editions of the Guide to Biosimilars Litigation and Regulation in the US, including the 2019 – 2020 ed., 2022 – 2023 ed., and the 2023 – 2024 ed., published by Thomson Reuters.