June 2, 2025 (San Diego) – Four Procopio partners who provide life sciences and medtech clients valuable corporate, intellectual property, and real estate legal services have been named 2025 Leaders of Influence in Life Sciences by the San Diego Business Journal. The four recognized attorneys—David Crawford, Paul Johnson, Robert “Bob” Ramos, and Xiaofan “Frank” Yang—are award-winning attorneys with distinctive backgrounds suited to represent medical device designers and manufacturers, innovators in the biologics, genomic, diagnostic, e-health, digital health technologies, and other life sciences companies.

David Crawford has represented over 175 life sciences companies, technology companies, manufacturers, defense companies and venture investors in negotiating leases and construction contracts for new headquarters, manufacturing facilities, research facilities, laboratories and offices across the United States. He represents individuals and companies of all types on a wide array of real estate transactions, both large and small, including leasing, financing, development, construction, project finance, joint ventures and regulatory matters; as he puts it, “anything connected to dirt, sticks and bricks.” David has represented borrowers and lenders in negotiating over $2.5 billion in real estate-secured loans of nearly every variety. He is recognized by Best Lawyers® for Real Estate Law.

Paul Johnson helps life sciences and medtech entrepreneurs and their investors get companies formed, funded and sold, including initial company formation, negotiation of seed, early and mid-stage equity financings, and buy and sell-side mergers and acquisitions. His life sciences clients have included pioneers in genomics (DNA and RNA), oligo synthesis services, clinical stage pharmaceuticals, biotech, and therapeutics. He is also adept at venture capital investments, public and private securities offering and compliance and general business counseling. Paul has also counseled some of San Diego’s most successful companies in Securities and Exchange Commission compliance and general corporate governance. He is the leader of Procopio’s Emerging Company & Venture Capital practice and co-leader of its Mergers & Acquisitions practice, and is recognized by Best Lawyers® for Corporate Law.

Robert “Bob” Ramos assists venture-backed startups, mid-sized companies, basic research institutes, as well as large biopharmaceutical companies related to worldwide patent and trademark acquisition and strategic counseling in the biotechnology arts, including molecular biology, antibodies/peptibodies, protein therapeutics, cancer therapies, gene therapy, cellular immunotherapy, and nucleic acids; as well as next generation sequencing and modern genomics, including microfluidics, microarrays, bioinformatic and pharmacogenomic analysis for personalized medicine and companion diagnostics. Bob’s practice includes preparing and prosecuting U.S. and foreign patent applications, patent landscape analysis, opinion work, including patentability, non-infringement, invalidity and freedom-to-operate opinions. Bob has extensive Biopharma industry experience where he participated in hundreds of detailed global patent strategy decisions for high value IP assets.

Xiaofan “Frank” Yang provides comprehensive IP strategic counseling to public and private biotechnology, pharmaceutical, digital health and medical device companies. His patent counseling and prosecution experience creates and protects IP assets as primary value propositions for growth enterprises in all stages of business, from proof of concept to clinical development, regulatory approval and product launch. Frank is also experienced in conducting due diligence in complex venture financings, public offerings, partnering/licensing transactions, and mergers and acquisitions. After obtaining his B.S. in polymer chemistry and Ph.D. in organic synthesis, Frank worked as a medicinal chemist in the pharmaceutical industry for more than four years before becoming a patent practitioner. Recognized by IAM on its Patent 1000 list and WIPR on its IP Leaders list, he is a member of the firm’s Management Committee and co-leader of Procopio’s Life Sciences practice and its Technology Transactions and Licensing practice.

Procopio’s Life Sciences attorneys bring decades of law firm and in-house counsel experience—from life-saving pharmaceuticals to breakthrough biotechnologies—offering a unique understanding of your legal challenges and opportunities in a rapidly evolving, multidisciplinary industry. Whether an emerging company or an established multinational, Procopio provides its clients a wide range of legal services including corporate formation, financing and venture capital, intellectual property counseling and litigation, licensing, real estate, mergers and acquisitions, and joint ventures. Our molecular biology experience includes gene therapy, personalized cancer immunotherapy, TCRs, antibodies/peptibodies; antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs); protein therapeutics, cancer therapies, cellular immunotherapy, nucleic acids, as well as next-generation sequencing and modern genomics. Our chemistry technical expertise includes pharmaceuticals, industrial biotechnology, organic chemistry and polymer chemistry, in areas as diverse as peptide pharmaceuticals, adhesives, drug delivery technology, and medical devices.

Procopio attorneys and practice groups are routinely named to various legal rankings lists, including Best Lawyers®, Best Law Firms®, Super Lawyers®, Martindale-Hubbell®, and Chambers®.