Elese Hanson

Elese Hanson is a seasoned legal professional specializing in life sciences, currently serving as Special Counsel at Cooley LLP since November 2025. Previously, Elese held positions as Counsel and Senior Associate at WilmerHale from November 2020 to November 2025, and has extensive experience advising on strategic business transactions in the life science sector. Past roles include Patent Counsel at Sagent Pharmaceuticals and Associate positions at Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP and Duane Morris LLP, focusing on patent litigation and intellectual property. Elese also contributed to the Women In Bio organization, serving as Vice Chair of the Boardroom Ready program, which assists women in securing board positions, and as Chair of Chicago Programming. Elese holds a JD in Patent and Health Law from DePaul University College of Law and a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical/Medical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.