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, with a practice focused 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 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.

Mr. Berns is admitted to practice in the States of California, New York and Colorado.

Recent accolades include:

• LMG Life Sciences – US Rising Star (Shortlisted) – Financial & Corporate (2022)
• Euromoney’s Americas Rising Stars – Life Sciences (2022)

Mr. Berns’ selected experience includes:

• Initial Public Offerings: Rain Therapeutics, Shattuck Labs, 89bio, Progenity, Forterra, Endochoice, Spark Therapeutics, Intrawest Resorts, Springleaf Holdings, Hilton Worldwide, Mavenir Systems
• Follow-on Equity Offerings: NLS Pharmaceutics, Biora Therapeutics, Viridian Therapeutics, Concert Pharmaceuticals, 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
• ATM Facilities: 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: 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, Sling Therapeutics – Series A, Bandier – Series E, Levo Therapeutics – Series Seed, Pangaea Holdings – Series B

Mergers and Acquisitions:

• Dianthus Therapeutics in merger transaction with Magenta Therapeutics
• Spectrum Pharmaceuticals in its sale to Assertio Holdings
• Concentra Biosciences in its acquisition of Jounce Therapeutics
• GNI Group in sale of F351 assets to Catalyst Biosciences
• Beijing Continent in reverse merger transaction with Catalyst Biosciences
• Quidel in its acquisition of Ortho Clinical Diagnostics
• La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company in its sale to Innoviva
• SomaLogic in its acquisition of Palamedrix
• MoonLake Immunotherapeutics in its $230 million business combination 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 acquisition by 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