Maynard & Gale is pleased to welcome to its Birmingham office six highly regarded business attorneys – James Childs, Dr. Greg Peterson, Joe Bird, Dave Cooper, Jonathan Kipp, and Jim Rotch – who join the Firm as Shareholders.

Previously with Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP, these lawyers joined Maynard’s Corporate/M&A, Private Equity, Emerging Growth, Intellectual Property, and Economic Development Practice Groups. They will advance the Firm’s strategic plan to add depth and expertise in practice areas and markets in which the firm is experiencing growth. This talented team will further strengthen Maynard’s position as a leading firm for businesses and enhance our presence in the Alabama, San Francisco, and New York markets.

“James Childs has developed a unique position across our markets as a lawyer for emerging and high growth companies, and I look forward to working alongside James as he leads the growth of these practices,” said Maynard Chairman Greg Curran. Childs and Curran will also join forces to co-lead and drive the growth of the Firm’s Private Equity and M&A practices.

Holding a Ph.D. in Biotechnology with twenty years of experience in all facets of the life sciences industry, Dr. Peterson will co-lead (with Kevin Culligan in our New York office) Maynard’s Life Sciences Industry team. “As the go-to biotech IP/patent attorney in Alabama, we are excited about leveraging Greg’s experience to further serve our life sciences clients across the country,” said Curran.

James Childs is one of the leading business lawyers in the Southeast. He has over twenty years of corporate experience representing clients in mergers and acquisitions, venture capital, private equity, debt, and other financings. He also represents investors in connection with fund formations, investments in and acquisitions and dispositions of portfolio companies. His clients range from high-tech startups to large, mature manufacturing companies, and his investor clients range from first-time hedge fund managers to experienced private equity teams. James earned his J.D. from Cumberland School of Law and holds a B.S. from Presbyterian College and an M.B.A. from Baylor University.

Dr. Greg Peterson brings twenty years of experience to Maynard’s Corporate and Intellectual Property practice groups. Greg has a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He represents clients on a wide variety of intellectual property issues and advises clients in trademark prosecution and FDA approval of products. Peterson’s practice also focuses on patent and technology licensing, intellectual property portfolio management, and strategic planning. He has filed and prosecuted over 150 patent applications in diverse technological fields, including nucleic acid-based diagnostics, immunology, and potential treatments for illnesses including cancer, arthritis, Alzheimer’s, and immune system dysregulation.

Joe Bird is a registered patent attorney and combines an active patent prosecution practice with technology and science related disputes and litigation. In his thirty plus years of practice, he has prosecuted numerous patents and related IP matters, including licensing, trademarks, copyrights, and noncompetition covenants. His patent prosecution experience includes optical and audio devices, software and manufacturing processes, cognitive neuroscience inventions, neurotechnology, biotechnology, and mechanical devices. He attended UAB’s graduate program in Vision Science, studying a combination of neurobiology, cognitive neuroscience, physiological optics, biochemistry, and genetics. He holds a J.D. from the University of Alabama School of Law and a B.A. from Auburn University.

Dave Cooper is a corporate attorney experienced with handling transactions and matters involving mergers and acquisitions, public and private equity, corporate governance, entity formation, securities, and tax issues. His practice focuses on economic development incentive package structuring and negotiation. Cooper has represented domestic and international companies in several of the most significant economic development projects in the South; including all phases of the site selection process, labor analysis, cost-benefit, and incentive negotiation, and project implementation. He also assists clients with incentive compliance, real estate acquisitions, and the myriad of issues that arise in expanding or establishing a new facility. Prior to attending law school, Cooper worked as a Series 7 registered Investment Analyst for Johnson Sterling Paul Securities, Inc. He earned his J.D. from Cumberland School of Law and his B.S. from Auburn University.

Jonathan Kipp is a corporate attorney with fourteen years of experience representing a wide range of clients in connection with business entity formation and capitalization, private securities placements, private equity, and venture capital investments, mergers and acquisitions, investment fund formation and regulation, and the negotiation of licensing, product development, manufacturing, services, and similar agreements. His practice includes a particular focus on emerging growth companies and he has significant experience with technology and life sciences companies. He earned his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law and his B.A. and B.S.B.A. from the University of Richmond.

Jim Rotch is a seasoned corporate securities and tax attorney with significant experience handling complex business and finance transactions and numerous mergers and acquisitions. He devotes a substantial portion of his practice to emerging and technology businesses, and his client representations also include manufacturers, distributors, banks, and other financial institutions. In addition, Rotch has experience assisting companies with issues of shareholder and/or family conflict. He holds a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law and a B.S. from Auburn University.

“Each of these lawyers brings talents and capabilities that will complement our practices, provide additional resources for our clients and allow us to continue to grow in our core markets,” said Maynard Managing Shareholder Jeff Grantham. “This addition to our team represents another important step in executing Maynard’s strategic plan.”