The Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Excellence in the Law Awards 2025 have recently honored Goodwin partner Gabriela Morales-Rivera (Up & Coming Lawyers) and counsel Kevin DeJong (Excellence in Pro Bono).
Gabriela is a partner in Goodwin’s nationally recognized Life Sciences group, counseling clients in the industries of biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices. Gabriela represents public and private companies in startup and formation matters, venture capital financing, initial public offerings and capital markets transactions, strategic investments, and other complex transactions. Some of her most recent transactions include her representation of Upstream Bio on its $293 million upsized initial public offering and Bicara Therapeutics on its $362 million upsized initial public offering. At Goodwin, she is a council leader for the Boston office as part of the Women@Goodwin group, the firm’s women-focused initiative, and is a member of the firm’s hiring committee for the Boston office. She has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America Ones to Watch for her work in Corporate and Technology Law and Life Sciences Practice since 2022. She was also shortlisted for LMG Life Sciences’ Americas 2023 US Rising Star – Financial & Corporate Award.
Kevin is a counsel in Goodwin’s Litigation group, and focuses his practice on intellectual property litigation. Kevin has particular expertise in Hatch-Waxman and BPCIA litigation involving pharmaceuticals. Since 2019, Kevin has led the Goodwin team partnering with Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) and Public Counsel, among others, to handle a class action lawsuit challenging a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) policy that would have severely limited the ability of unaccompanied children to seek asylum in the United States, resulting in a preliminary injunction which blocked the policy from taking effect. Kevin and the team obtained a settlement agreement in 2024, reached after complex settlement negotiations with the government agencies. Kevin has also represented numerous individual children in immigration proceedings, helping them navigate through the complex state court, immigration court, and government agencies to become permanent residents.
The Excellence in the Law Awards celebrate the best lawyers and legal professionals throughout the Massachusetts legal community. The winners will be honored at a ceremony in Boston on March 18th.