Counsel to Counsel - January 2008 - (Page 24) profiles in partnership Developing the Ever-Crucial By Amy I. Stickel Chemistry Photography by Timothy J. Perroud Zimmer Holdings, Inc. and Baker & Daniels LLP S ometimes, challenging beginnings can produce the best relationships. That is true for Zimmer Holdings, Inc. and attorneys from Baker & Daniels LLP. In-house counsel from Zimmer, the world’s largest pure-play orthopaedics company, and the law firm began working together in 2002 on a transaction that needed to be closed in a hurry, in the midst of a transitional period for the company. A one-time subsidiary of Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., Warsaw, Ind.-based Zimmer was spun off in August 2001. As Zimmer was a subsidiary of one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the United States, its in-house counsel often relied on the expertise and manpower of the New York-based parent’s large legal department. But after the spinoff, those resources were no longer just a phone call away. “When we were a subsidiary of BristolMyers, a lot of matters were handled out of New York. With the spinoff, we had more work put on our plate,” says David N. Royster, Zimmer’s assistant general counsel, Global Businesses, Litigation and Risk. Almost as soon as the spinoff from BristolMyers was complete, Zimmer jumped into a major negotiation with privately held biotechnology firm ISTO Technologies, Inc. ISTO and Zimmer wanted to create an exclusive collaboration agreement to develop and commercialize tissue to repair cartilage. Looking for outside counsel to From left, Jennifer L. Kremp, Baker & Daniels LLP; David N. Royster, Zimmer Holdings, Inc.; and Daniel L. Boeglin, Baker & Daniels LLP help with the deal, Royster received a recommendation for Baker & Daniels Partner Daniel L. Boeglin, and the two clicked right away. Within five months of the spinoff, Zimmer and ISTO had wrapped up the deal, which also gave Zimmer an equity stake in ISTO. “Dan hit a home run with that one,” recalls Royster. “I was very impressed from day one.” “The first deal set the tone,” says Boeglin. “David has an amazing grasp of the company’s strategic priorities, and we worked very closely with him and the business executives.” For Zimmer and Baker & Daniels, that deal was just the beginning. Many Deals, Little Time Since the spinoff and the original ISTO deal, Zimmer has expanded at a rapid pace 24 LexisNexis® Martindale-Hubbell®
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