William (Bill) Collins is a partner in Goodwin’s nationally recognized Life Sciences group, counseling clients in the industries of biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and medical devices. Serving as his clients’ principal outside counsel, Bill provides strategic advice and corporate legal counseling to management teams and boards while structuring and leading significant transactions on his clients’ behalf. He is recognized by his clients and colleagues for his extensive industry knowledge and deal experience, and for providing practical legal and business advice. Bill has also been recognized as one of Law360’s Rising Stars for 2022.
Bill has extensive experience with startup and formation matters, venture capital financings, initial public offerings, deSPAC transactions and other equity debt capital markets transactions, mergers and acquisitions, strategic collaborations, and other complex transactions. He also represents a number of publicly traded biotechnology companies in ongoing SEC compliance, capital raising and corporate governance matters. Bill spends much of his time advising founders, executives and directors on business and legal matters alike.
Bill has advised many of his clients through their full corporate life cycle, starting with their initial founding and funding. He also regularly represents leading venture capital firms focused on the life sciences industry in connection with their portfolio company investments, exits and secondary stock sale transactions.
Experience
Bill’s recent client representations include the following:
Representative Matters
- Nimbus Therapeutics in connection with its $1.2 billion sale of its ACC inhibitor program to Gilead Biosciences, its $60 million financing, $105 million financing, $125 million financing completed since 2020, and its $6 billion sale of its TYK2 inhibitor to Takeda Pharmaceuticals
- Kymera Therapeutics in connection with its $30 million Series A financing, $65 million Series B financing and its $102 million Series C financing, its strategic collaborations with Vertex Pharmaceuticals and Sanofi, its $200 million initial public offering, its $200 million and $275 million follow-on public offerings, and $150 million PIPE
- Relay Therapeutics in connection with its $57 million Series A financing, its $63 million Series B financing and its $400 million Series C financing, its $460 million initial public offering, and multiple follow-on offerings of more than $330 million, and its $85 million acquisition of ZebiAI
- Disc Medicine in connection with its $50 million Series A financing, its $90 million Series B financing, its reverse merger transaction with Gemini Therapeutics, and its 2023 registered equity financings
- EQRx in connection with its $200 million Series A financing and $500 million Series B Financing, its $5.35 billion business combination with CM Life Sciences III, including its $1.2 billion PIPE financing, and its sale to Revolution Medicines
- Forma Therapeutics in connection with its $100 million Series D financing, its $319.3 million initial public offering, its $275.8 million follow-on public offering, its $200 million “at-the-market” offering, and its $1.1 billion sale to Novo Nordisk
- Tango Therapeutics in connection with its $55 million Series A financing and its $60 million Series B financing, its $1.0 billion definitive business combination with BCTG Acquisition Corp and its $80 million PIPE financing
- Upstream Bio with its $200 million Series B financing
- Myeloid Therapeutics in its $73 million financing
- ROME Therapeutics in its $50 million Series A financing and $77 million Series B financing
- Sionna Therapeutics in its $111 million Series B financing and $182 Series C financing
- Obsidian Therapeutics in connection with its $49.5 million Series A financing, $115 million Series B financing, and $160 million Series C financing
- Orionis Biosciences in its research collaboration and financing transaction with Novartis
- HotSpot Therapeutics, Inc. in its $100 million Series C financing
- Diagonal Therapeutics in its $128 million Series A financing
- Triveni Bio in its $92 million Series A financing
- Tome Biosciences initial Series B financing and acquisition of Replace Therapeutics
- Nvelop Therapeutics in its $100 million financing
- Accent Therapeutics in its $63.5 million Series B financing
- Magenta Therapeutics in connection with its $48.5 million Series A financing and its $50 million Series B financing, its $100 million initial public offering and its reverse merger with Dianthus Therapeutics
- Intellia Therapeutics in connection with its foundational license agreement with Caribou Biosciences pursuant to which Intellia has the right to therapeutic applications of CRISPR/Cas9 technology, its collaboration and license agreements with Novartis and Regeneron, its $124.2 million initial public offering, and its $150 million follow-on public offering
- Ikena Oncology in connection with its $120 million Series B financing and its $143.8 million initial public offering
- TScan Therapeutics in multiple financings
- Rocket Pharmaceuticals in its $299 million and $100 million follow-on financings
- Candel Therapeutics in its $72 million initial public offering
- Praxis Precision Medicines in its $104.9 million underwritten public offering
- TCR2 Therapeutics in its $75 million underwritten public offering
- Bluebird bio in its $116.1 million initial public offering
- Other clinical stage and commercial stage issuers in more than $5 billion in equity and debt offerings
- Thrive Earlier Detection Corp. in connection with its $2.15 billion sale to Exact Sciences Corporation
- Rodin Therapeutics in its $950 million sale to Alkermes
- Padlock Therapeutics in its $600 million sale to Bristol-Meyers Squibb
- Ocata Therapeutics in its sale to Astellas
- Albany Molecular Research Inc. in its sale to The Carlyle Group and GTCR
- Outcome Sciences in its sale to Quintiles Transnational (NASDAQ: Q)
- ZOLL Medical in its acquisition of Kyma Medical Systems and other business development transactions
Bill also represents leading life science venture capital and investment firms, including Atlas Venture, Third Rock Ventures, Curie Bio, ARCH Venture Partners, Newpath Partners, Bain Capital Life Sciences, Lightstone Ventures, Vida Ventures and others, in connection with their portfolio investments and related matters.
Professional Activities
Bill is a member of the Boston and American Bar Associations.
Professional Experience
Prior to joining Goodwin, Bill was an Economic Justice Fellow at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, where he coordinated with community groups and local attorneys to bring pro bono business legal services to low-income and minority entrepreneurs in Eastern Massachusetts. Bill continues to be an active participant in Goodwin’s Neighborhood Business Initiative, which has for more than 15 years served the legal needs of low-income and minority entrepreneurs in the Greater Boston area.
Credentials
Education
JD2009
Boston University School of Law
(cum laude)
BS2006
The University of Texas at Dallas
(cum laude)
Admissions
Bars
- Massachusetts
Recognition & Awards
Bill is consistently recognized by Legal 500 US for his work as a leader in Life Sciences Venture Capital work. In 2024 he was named a Next Generation Partner by Legal 500 US. While attending law school, Bill was Editor-in-Chief of the Review of Banking and Financial Law.