Axinn Promotes Daniel Bitton and Stacie Ropka

Daniel Bitton has an extensive background in antitrust litigation, government investigations and mergers and acquisitions in a variety of industries, from biotech, life sciences and high tech to pharmaceuticals, cable and telecommunications.  He has represented, for example, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. before the FTC in its $13.6 billion acquisition of Life Technologies Corp., and advised Google Inc. in the $2.35 billion sale of its Motorola Home division to Arris Group Inc.

Daniel has received high praise from clients who refer to him as “one of the most talented antitrust lawyers I know” and “an absolute pleasure to work with.”  Clients also have recognized and noted Daniel’s “incredible work ethic,” and “dedication, intensity and competence.”

Prior to joining the firm in 2004, Daniel served as an advisor to the Independent Post and Telecommunications Authority and the Netherlands Competition Authority in The Hague.  In that capacity he provided counsel on matters involving bid-rigging and monopolization, as well as regulatory disputes involving fixed and mobile interconnection rates, cable-access and local loop unbundling.  He earned his LL.M. from New York University (NYU) School of Law in 2004 and his M.A. in Netherlands Law from Free University in 2001.

With a Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology, Stacie Ropka focuses her practice on intellectual property litigation, due diligence and client counseling, with an emphasis on the life sciences, including biologics, pharmaceuticals and reconstructive biomaterials.

Since joining the firm in 2007, Stacie has provided IP counseling and due diligence for life science companies and has served on the trial team for several patent lawsuits involving major pharmaceutical companies.  She has also provided extensive counseling for product development efforts relating to biologics and reconstructive biomaterials, including products that utilize adult stem cells.

Prior to earning her law degree, Stacie was a faculty member at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, NY.  She also served as a research scientist in neurology, virology and immunology, both at Northwestern University in Chicago, IL and SUNY Upstate Medical University.  She earned her J.D. at Syracuse University College of Law in 2005 and her Ph.D. at SUNY Upstate Medical University in 1999.