Kingsley L. Taft, Goodwin Procter LLP partner, practices Life Sciences.

Kingsley L. Taft

PartnerCo-Chair, Life Sciences
he/him/his
Kingsley L. Taft
Boston
+1 617 570 1222

Kingsley Taft is a partner and co-chair of Goodwin's Life Sciences group. For the past 25 years, he has been recognized as one of the leading life sciences attorneys worldwide. He is the current chair of the Partnership Committee, a member of Goodwin’s global Executive Committee, and a former member of the Allocations and Executive committees.

Kingsley represents emerging to mature life sciences companies in all aspects of their business and legal affairs, including company formation, venture financings, JVs and strategic licenses and collaborations, M&A, IPOs and other capital market transactions, royalty monetizations, and other commercial transactions.

Before attending Harvard Law School, Kingsley earned a BS in Chemistry from Yale University and a PhD in Chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

He has been recognized by Chambers in Life Sciences: Corporate Commercial at the Band One level in the USA (19 years), Global (six years) and Massachusetts (three years). Kingsley was inducted into the LMG Life Sciences Hall of Fame, named a Biotechnology and Life Sciences Lawyer of the Year in 2022 and a Corporate Lawyer of the Year in 2025 by The Best Lawyers in America, and is regularly named a Life Sciences Thought Leader by Who’s Who Legal - Global Elite.

Under his leadership, Goodwin’s Life Sciences practice has received numerous awards and honors, including U.S. News’ Biotechnology Law Firm of the Year eight times (2013 through 2015, 2017 through 2021, and 2025), Law360 Life Sciences Group of the Year (2016 and 2025), LMG Life Sciences’ Life Cycle Firm of the Year for the United States (2024), Licensing & Collaboration Firm of the Year (2023), Corporate Law Firm of the Year (2019) and Venture Capital Law Firm of the Year (2016 and 2024), and perennial recognition by Chambers.

Representative Matters

Credentials

Education

JD1997

Harvard Law School

(magna cum laude)

PhDChemistry1993

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

BSChemistry1989

Yale University

(magna cum laude)

Clerkships

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, Honorable Raymond C. Clevenger

Admissions

Bars

  • Massachusetts

Recognition & Awards

Kingsley has been recognized by numerous legal guides for legal and life sciences industry expertise. He has been recognized by Chambers in Life Sciences: Corporate Commercial at the Band One level in the USA (19 years), Global (six years) and Massachusetts (three years). Kingsley was inducted into the LMG Life Sciences Hall of Fame, named a Biotechnology and Life Sciences Lawyer of the Year in 2022 and a Corporate Lawyer of the Year in 2025 by The Best Lawyers in America, and is regularly named a Life Sciences Thought Leader by Who’s Who Legal - Global Elite.

Kingsley has also been named as a leading business lawyer IFLR1000 (Pharmaceutical sector), LMG Life Sciences (Life Sciences Star), The Legal 500 United States (Healthcare: Life Sciences and Venture Capital and Emerging Companies), PLC Cross-border Life Sciences Handbook (Commercial and Partnering), named to the IAM Global Leaders Guide, and IAM Patent 1000 (Licensing).

Publications

While attending law school, he first served as an editor and executive editor of the Harvard Law Review.