Phillip Reed
Boyce, Esq.
Founder,
Boyce Life Sciences
Phil Boyce received his law degree from Seton Hall University School of Law. Early in his career as a commercial and tort litigator, Phil observed firsthand (often uncomfortably) how contracts once thought to be “good enough” when the documents were signed did not withstand hostile attack.
These experiences allowed Phil to observe on a very practical level how gaps or errors in contract documents could expose businesses and even individuals, to liability in contract and tort litigation.
Later in his career, Phil brought this insight and experience to his role as a contract negotiator at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. While at UVA, he also learned Lean Six Sigma (A3) methodology from the faculty of the Darden School of Business. This combined legal and project management expertise led Phil to found Boyce Life Sciences.
Phil believes that the law and contracts should not just be another “black box” in the academic medical research practices. In all of his work, he strives to “operationalize” that knowledge in ways that functionally support decision-making process of legal and non-legal staff. He is passionate about teaching and training legal and non-legal professionals engaged in academic research. This has included training in-house counsel, contract negotiators, and principal investigators. He is a regular speaker not only on advanced legal concepts like indemnification but also on more operationally focused topics like project management and process improvement.
A note from Phil…
I entered the field of academic medicine as a contract negotiator at a large medical school after a prior career as a commercial litigator. One of the first things that I learned in my new role is that contract negotiation in academic medicine is about 20% law and 80% project management. It's not just about getting the contracts right; it's about getting them done on time. For lawyers, there is nothing in our training that prepares us for this type of challenge. We are taught to solve complex legal puzzles, not to build efficient administrative systems for shepherding hundreds of contracts through the negotiation pipeline all at once.
For me this changed dramatically when I was trained in Lean Six Sigma process improvement methodology at the University of Virginia by the faculty of the Darden School of Business. Armed with this new way of methodically studying the process itself (not just the substantive law), I began studying (A3) every success and/or problem that I encountered. This led me to develop a broad range of innovative solutions, and I founded Boyce Life Sciences to bring these to our clients.
At BLS, we are not just experts in the substantive law in this field, we are experts in how to flourish in an often overwhelming, high-volume contract negotiation environment. Success requires both, and we believe that major improvements in productivity and staff morale can be achieved by modest, inexpensive, attainable solutions. Our goal is to bring that vision, optimism, and enthusiasm to your organization.