Cara R. Baer

Practice Areas

Health Law, Intellectual Property Transactions, Data Licensing, Medical Research Transactions

Career

Cara R. Baer focuses her practice on transactions for life sciences companies and academic medical centers, the application of international privacy laws to medical research activities, and intellectual property counseling. She works with some of the world’s largest pharmaceutical, medical device, and biopharmaceutical corporations, facilitating business and commercial transactions and joint ventures and strategic collaborations. In addition to her deal work, she is experienced in the negotiation and drafting of drug and device development, manufacturing and products supply agreements as well as agreements relating to the conduct of medical research such as clinical trials, investigator initiated studies, consortiums, and the sharing of data and materials both within the United States and internationally. She regularly counsels academic medical centers on addressing international privacy concerns applying to the conduct of research around the globe. She also assists clients to formulate their international intellectual property strategies including trademark clearance, filing and protection as well as IP licensing.

She obtained her J.D. from The University of Memphis in 2004 and also holds a Master of Arts degree in mathematics from The University of Maryland and a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics from Vanderbilt University. She has been published in Intellectual Property Litigation, Law360 and Pointe Innovation and has published a chapter in Aspatore’s book, Inside the Minds: Navigating Legal Issues in the Biotechnology Industry.

Cara is admitted to practice in the State of Tennessee, the U.S. District Courts Western District of Tennessee and the U.S. Patent Bar.

Publications

Co-Author, "Proposed Rule Published Restricting Data Sharing with China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, and Venezuela," October 30, 2024.

Author, "International Privacy Laws and Clinical Trials," Pro Te: Solutio, Vol. 14, No. 3, September 2021.

Author, “Open Source and Crowdsourced Models in Pharmaceutical Development," Pro Te: Solutio, Vol. 10 No. 3, October 2017.

Author, “Uncertainty in Biopharmaceutical Industry Presents Challenges for Manufacturers,” Inside the Minds: Navigating Legal Issues in the Biotechnology Industry 25 (Aspatore Books ed., 2015).

Co-Author, "Unfair Trade Practice Claims under State Law" Intellectual Property Litigation, Vol. 22, Number 2, Winter 2011.

Co-Author, “Pursuing Phantom Counterfeiters: Serving Process via Email” Law360/Pointe Innovation, September 14, 2010.

Author, “Shutting Down Phantom Counterfeiters,” IP Law360, April 2009.

Co-Author, “Protecting Trade Secrets in Patent Litigation,” Intellectual Property Litigation, American Bar Association, Spring 2009.

Author, “How to Enforce IP Rights in China,” Intellectual Property Litigation, Volume 19, Number 4, American Bar Association, Summer 2008.

Co-Author, “Patents and the Obvious: Can Your Idea Pass the Test?” Pointe Innovation Magazine.

Personal

J.D., University of Memphis, 2004; M.A. Mathematics, University of Maryland, 2001; B.S. Mathematics, magna cum laude, Vanderbilt University, 1999.

Work Highlights

Representation of both acquirers and sellers in local, national and international corporate acquisitions where assets to be acquired or valuation of companies to be acquired involve selling company’s intellectual property.

Assisting clients in licensing or acquisition of intellectual property rights.

Negotiation and drafting of multi-billion dollar worldwide collaboration between two major pharmaceutical companies for co-development and co-promotion of multiple pharmaceutical products.

Negotiation and drafting of agreements among pharmaceutical and medical device companies for development, manufacturing and supply of products.

Registration of trademarks in United States as well as in over 40 foreign countries through extensive network of foreign associates.

Drafting and implementing a new suite of sales templates and standard terms and conditions for a large ophthalmic medical device company including training the sales operations team on the new templates, acceptable fallback provisions, and who has authority to approve deviations from non-legal terms.

Assisting a nationally-recognized academic medical center with review and negotiation of medical research agreements relating to industry and federally sponsored research, collaborations and consortium formations, and the establishment of an international privacy program to address personal data collected for medical research purposes outside the United States.

Awards