This profile is part of a series introducing Procopio attorneys.

She’s an Englishwoman in Arizona, but Helen Goldstein is far more than that. The award-winning life sciences M&A and corporate attorney has developed an outstanding reputation for striking deals and crafting contracts that benefit businesses and investors while advancing cutting-edge technology.

“I enjoy the process of building and facilitating relationships,” Helen says. “Most of my clients have invested time and energy to synergize with potential buyers, sellers, customers, suppliers or consultants. I like to step in early to suggest win-win structures and turn ideas into distinct terms. My input is focused on bringing the parties together and getting the deal done.”

Part of the joy Helen finds in her deal-making is the type of clients she typically represents.

“I work largely with companies whose primary assets and value drivers are intellectual property,” Helen says. “I’m fascinated by the technology my clients have developed, and in the life science space I certainly value being a small part of the process that brings life-changing and life-saving therapies, diagnostics and other interventions to patient’s lives.

“I often work with best-in-class, cutting-edge, technology and, as such, there is sometimes no direct legal precedent for necessary deal terms. In other words, you cannot just take a form document and fill in some party names. Knowing fundamental legal principles inside and out allows me to create novel concepts but make them work in a way that everyone around the table understands, including when the other side is represented by counsel who likes to keep to convention.”

This appreciation for the complex or nuanced also helps Helen capitalize on extra points of value in a merger or acquisition.

Helen is based in Procopio’s Scottsdale office, and often travels to the firm’s Del Mar Heights and Washington, D.C., offices. That’s some distance from Surrey, England, where she was born and raised. Helen brings her clients legal knowledge from both sides of the pond, having law degrees from both the University of Nottingham and Arizona State University.

Helen makes time to re-center by enjoying the both the Arizona and San Diego outdoors on horseback. You will also find her obsessing over Formula One racing and football (what Americans call soccer). “I’m excited to see how both F1 and soccer are growing in the U.S. and it is great when I get to combine my passions and work with clients in these areas,” she says. Helen is also a motivational speaker and teaches in the Jewish community.

A primary passion remains the practice of law.

“I love hearing that that I’ve taken the stress and friction out of the process of contracting. My clients can focus on their businesses rather than on pushing paper,” Helen said. “In practical terms, that could be anything from having plain English contracts that the counterparty understands to reducing the back-and-forth pushbacks because we start from generally acceptable positions.”

The long-term prospects of Helen’s clients are always front of mind. “With every contract I draft I want it to enable the client and counterparty to work through any issue without damaging that relationship,” she says. She also knows that many commercial contracts will contribute to the value of the company when she sells the company down the road.

Maintaining solid business relationships is critical, Helen explains, because “moving forward, assets like data are going to become more and more valuable.” One recurring contract complication involves artificial intelligence. “We have seen some AI developers assert that, in developing an AI for you, that they should be allowed to provide that same AI model based on your data to others,” she says. What once was unacceptable is now popping up in standard form contracts.

What is Helen’s approach? “Where possible, keep it simple.” That philosophy has served her clients well, in the life sciences and other innovative industries.