I am a seasoned general counsel who blends years of firm experience with in-house pragmatism to help clients navigate complex transactions.
Jay Reilly is a seasoned transactional and corporate advisor with deep experience serving clients across the life sciences and high-tech industries. He represents biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical device, diagnostic, and digital health companies—as well as universities and nonprofits—in complex strategic transactions, licensing and collaboration agreements, venture financing and mergers and acquisitions. His work spans both domestic and international markets.
Jay regularly advises C-suite executives, boards of directors, and general counsels on governance, fiduciary duties, risk mitigation, and enterprise-wide legal strategy. He frequently serves as a trusted senior advisor to leadership teams and as outside general counsel to companies with lean in-house legal departments.
Jay’s career is shaped by more than a decade of in-house experience, including serving as General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer of Emergent BioSolutions, a publicly traded specialty pharmaceutical company, and holding senior legal roles at Novell and Cambridge Technology Partners. His background gives him a strong understanding of the internal dynamics companies face, enabling him to deliver practical, solutions-focused advice on both major transactions and day-to-day operational matters.
Boston University School of Law, J.D., G. Joseph Tauro Distinguished Scholar, cum laude, 1995
Yale University, B.A., Dean's Award - Saybrook College, 1990
Bar and Court Admissions
BAR ADMISSIONS
District of Columbia
Massachusetts
Experience
LICENSING & STRATEGIC ALLIANCES
Capstone Development Services Company in connection with several collaborations for the in-license and distribution of various pharmaceutical products*
Allinaire Therapeutics in its license of monoclonal antibodies for treatment of pulmonary artery hypertension to Chiesi Farmaceutici*
Establishment of a pre-competitive consortium to direct a clinical observational study of CDKL5 deficiency disorder patients, comprised of Amicus Therapeutics, Biogen, Elaaj Bio, Marinus Pharmaceuticals, PTC Therapeutics, Ultragenyx and Zogenix*
Establishment of IP sharing arrangements for National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL)*
Dual Therapeutics in its license of small molecule compounds for the treatment of cancer to Bristol-Myers Squibb*
Establishment of the Oxford-Emergent Tuberculosis Consortium for the conduct of a Phase II study of a tuberculosis vaccine in infants*
Establishment of the Open Invention Network, a consortium of major software companies including IBM, NEC, Sony, Philips, Red Hat and Novell, for the protection of Linux and open-source software, and the related acquisition of a patent portfolio from Commerce One*
University of Delaware in the outlicense of various technologies and the establishment of various collaborations*
Thomas Jefferson University in the outlicense of various technologies*
Numerous biotechs in obtaining licenses from academic institutions*
MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS TRANSACTIONS
Supernus Pharmaceuticals in its two-step negotiated tender offer for Sage Therapeutics for up to $795 million, targeted to close in Q3 2025*
Sustain.Life, a sustainability reporting startup, in its $100 million sale to Workiva*
Represented the bankruptcy estates of Wellstat Therapeutics Corporation and Wellstat Biologics Corporation in two rounds of an auction of assets for an aggregate of $64 million*
Supernus Pharmaceuticals in its $530 million acquisition of central nervous system assets from US WorldMeds Partners*
novavita thera, a preclinical gene therapy company focused on rare liver and metabolic diseases, in its sale to Castle Creek Biosciences for an undisclosed amount*
GeneTx Biotherapeutics, a clinical stage gene therapy company focused on developing treatments for Angelman syndrome, in its $105 million sale to Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical*
GlaxoSmithKline in its divestiture of Ebola and Marburg vaccines to Sabin Vaccine Institute for an undisclosed amount*
GlaxoSmithKline in its $50 million divestiture of a portfolio of dermatology products to Mayne Pharma*
Emergent BioSolutions in its two-step negotiated tender offer for Trubion Pharmaceuticals for $135 million*
Novell in its $210 million acquisition of leading Linux developer SuSE Linux AG*
Novell in its $77 million divestiture of Celerant Consulting*
Novell in its $72 million acquisition of eSecurity, a provider of security information and event management technology*
Novell in its two-step negotiated tender offer for SilverStream Software for $212 million*
Cambridge Technology Partners in its $251 million public sale to Novell*
VENTURE CAPITAL/EMERGING COMPANIES
Connected Things in connection with its Series Seed investment round*
CoapTech in connection with its Series Seed, Series A and Series B investment rounds*
GeneTx Biotherapeutics in its Series Seed and Series A investment rounds*
Linshom Medical in connection with its Series A investment round*
An undisclosed Biotech AI company in connection with its seed investment round*
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in connection with preferred stock and convertible debt investments in numerous private companies*
* - handled by Jay prior to joining Foley Hoag.
Other Publications
Implementing Kimble v. Marvel: Seven Practical Tips, LES Insights, Licensing Executives Society (July 2015)
What Is a “Beneficial Owner” Under the New Federal Corporate Transparency Act (December 2023)
Licensing Executives Society Mutual Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) Template (October 2015)
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