Choate Elevates Six Attorneys to Principal

Six Choate attorneys – John Calhoun, Kristen Dooley Perriello, Sara Frank, Hampton Foushee, Daniela Badiola Spanos, and Dr. Janet Tse – have been elected as principals, effective May 1, 2022.

As Principal in the Complex Trial & Appellate Group, John Calhoun will continue to help a wide range of healthcare and financial services clients, publicly traded companies, insurers/reinsurers, nonprofits, private secondary schools, and individuals to prevail in commercial and business litigation disputes. John routinely handles pre-litigation counseling, frontline representation, and oral advocacy in cases involving complex intellectual property appropriation, investor contract and partnership disputes, private school investigations, and internal company whistleblower matters within state and federal courts.

As Principal in the Government Enforcement & White Collar Investigations Group, Kristen Dooley Perriello will continue to represent healthcare, life sciences and other companies across a wide range of industries to effectively manage complex litigation issues, with an emphasis on government enforcement actions, internal investigations, and compliance advice.

As Principal in the Government Enforcement & White Collar Investigations and Healthcare Groups, Sara Frank will continue to provide legal and compliance advice to companies and individuals based on Anti-Kickback Statute, False Claims Act, and HIPAA concerns, primarily in the life sciences sector. This work includes helping emerging companies develop and implement key compliance initiatives, while guiding more established companies as they assess the legal risks associated with new business plans, internal investigations, and government inquiries. Sara’s knowledge and insight earned while working as the U.S. Compliance Officer for one of the largest biotech companies in the world make her a valuable contributor in complex compliance investigations and a trusted advisor in times of critical decision-making for her clients.  

As Principal in the Finance & Restructuring Group, Hampton Foushee will continue to handle complex restructuring transactions for banks, institutional investors, borrowers, and issuers, as well as advising corporate clients on bankruptcy aspects of mergers, financing transactions, and disputes with distressed parties. Having previously worked as a restructuring attorney in New York and London, Hampton has a unique perspective on the restructuring landscape, enabling him to assist stakeholders regarding in-court and out-of-court workouts both in the United States and abroad.

As Principal in the Private Equity/M&A Group, Daniela Badiola Spanos will continue to represent private equity funds and their portfolio companies in a range of transactions including acquisitions, sales, and growth-equity, as well as in general corporate matters. In addition, Daniela will draw on her experience working on venture capital equity investments, and acquisition and sale transactions for public companies and institutional banks.

As Principal in the Intellectual Property and Life Sciences Groups, Dr. Janet M. Tse assists biotech and life sciences companies in the development and management of their patent portfolios to achieve business goals and to support companies’ critical programs. Janet also helps clients with due diligence work and transactional agreements. In addition, she advises clients on contentious matters, including inter partes reviews and post-grant reviews. Janet has a ScD in Chemical Engineering with a focus in biotechnology.