Interview: On The Cutting Edge Of Biotech Law

June 2, 2010

Editor: Please remind our readers of your background as both in-house counsel for a scientific firm as well as outside counsel.

Camacho: I spent many years at a large law firm as outside counsel to a number of venture-backed companies. At one point I decided it would be a good experience to go in-house and get a better view of what my clients were actually doing and how our work at the firm actually fit into the overall picture. I went in-house at a very early stage company called Codon Devices, a synthetic biology company. I was one of their early hires, being the tenth person onboard. I was there for two-and-a-half years. I came to understand what an operating company did day-to-day and where IP fit into the business plan. As the company’s IP needs became more routine, as they often do with a startup, I transitioned back to the law firm and continued to work with that company as outside counsel. (Metroploitan Corporate Counsel)