International Litigator Mary Bartkus Joins Hughes Hubbard From Merck & Co.

New York, New York, December 5, 2016 – Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP announced that Mary E. Bartkus will join the firm as Special Counsel. Bartkus comes to the firm from Merck & Co., where she was Executive Director and Senior Counsel, International Litigation. She will be based in Hughes Hubbard’s New Jersey office.

Bartkus brings more than two decades of high-level litigation experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Since joining Merck in 1995, she has represented the company countless times in matters before government agencies, courts and other tribunals throughout the world. Bartkus held a wide-ranging portfolio of litigation responsibilities, with a particular focus on antitrust, product liability, and other complex matters including class, representative, group, and cross-border litigation and arbitration. She has served as lead counsel on pharmaceutical in-licensing transactions and on joint venture and licensing relationships; and as lead in-house counsel on an international multi-jurisdictional joint venture transaction and on the defense and implementation of a pharmaceutical inventory management system in the European Union.

“We have worked closely with Mary for many years in her role at Merck, which is a longtime client of the firm. We know the experience, energy and legal skill that she brings to the table,” said Ted Mayer, Managing Partner of Hughes Hubbard. “Mary is known for resolving tough cases, and she understands the pharmaceutical space and all of the regulatory and litigation issues that companies face throughout the product life cycle, both in the US and abroad. We are excited about the experience and industry knowledge that she brings to our team, and the added value we can deliver to clients as a result.”

Prior to joining Merck, Bartkus was a partner at Shanley & Fisher (now Drinker Biddle & Reath), concentrating her practice in antitrust, intellectual property, trade practices and other complex litigation. While in private practice, Bartkus was a member of the Editorial Board of the New Jersey Law Journal and authored Injunctions, Chapter 5 in New Jersey Federal Civil Procedure, a book published annually by American Lawyer Media. She has published, spoken and presented lectures and seminars on litigation and regulatory issues in the pharmaceutical and other industries.

“I’m excited to be joining a team at Hughes Hubbard that I have had the pleasure of knowing and working with for many years,” said Bartkus. “Best of all, I can continue to work with my colleagues at Merck, while also exploring new opportunities at Hughes Hubbard.”

Bartkus holds a Bachelor of Arts, graduating magna cum laude from Kean College of New Jersey and a J.D. from Rutgers University School of Law.