Firm News

Wiggin and Dana LLP is pleased to announce that Katherine Rubino has joined the firm as a partner in the Corporate Department and Emerging Companies and Venture Capital, Intellectual Property and Life Sciences practice groups in Boston. She will also work closely with wiggin(x), a division of Wiggin and Dana that serves emerging and high-growth companies, their investors and their founders.

As the firm’s latest addition, Rubino will be based in Boston and work closely with other Boston partners: Corporate Chair and Emerging Companies and Venture Capital Partner Paul Hughes, Life Sciences Chair Patti Kavee Melick, and Corporate Partner Daniela Badiola Spanos. Wiggin and Dana established the Boston office last year to formalize its long-standing presence in the market.

“Katie’s impressive track record advising emerging companies with groundbreaking IP makes her the perfect addition to our Boston office,” said Hughes. “As we continue to work with companies at the forefront of scientific and technological advancement, her extensive experience with mission-critical IP strategy will be a terrific asset to our clients.”

Rubino supports innovative companies with corporate issues foundational to their business, with an emphasis on protecting and monetizing the value of their IP portfolio. She advises on strategic partnerships, licensing, and research collaborations, as well as assisting clients with target discovery collaborations, pre-clinical program licensing negotiations, and option-based structures. She often counsels clients seeking to raise growth capital, conduct initial public offerings, and pursue mergers and acquisitions, including cross-border and global transactions.

Rubino is particularly active in the emerging company ecosystem as a mentor and legal advisor to organizations affiliated with startup incubators such as MassChallenge, The Termeer Foundation, the MIT Sandbox, the Oregon Bioscience Incubator and Nucleate. A frequent speaker and author on legal issues impacting startups, Rubino co-authored “You Are an IP Company: The 12-Step Plan to Increase Your Intellectual Property Influence, Impact, and Income” in 2024.

“I’m excited to offer my clients Wiggin and Dana’s full-service capabilities and extensive resources, which can support their business needs across all stages of growth,” said Rubino. “I look forward to working alongside Paul, Patti, and Daniela as we continue to cement the firm’s excellent reputation in the Boston community.”

Rubino earned her PharmD and B.S., magna cum laude, from Northeastern University, and worked as a pharmacist for six years before earning her J.D., cum laude, from the Suffolk University Law School. She is the past-chair of the American Chemical Society’s Division of Chemistry and the Law. Rubino joins Wiggin and Dana from Caldwell, where she led the life sciences practice.

About Wiggin and Dana

Wiggin and Dana is a full-service law firm of highly talented, creative and experienced lawyers dedicated to exceeding our clients’ expectations every day. With offices in Boston, Connecticut, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, DC and Florida, we represent clients throughout the United States and globally on a wide range of sophisticated and complex matters. From defending a Fortune 500 institution in “bet-the-company” litigation, to helping the next generation of inventors bring new technologies to market, to preserving the wealth that a family business has worked so hard to create, we pride ourselves in offering value-driven solutions and results.