Charlotte – Global law firm K&L Gates LLP welcomes Scott Coward as of counsel in the firm’s Corporate practice. Based in the Carolinas and practicing out of the Charlotte and Raleigh offices, Coward rejoins the firm after serving as Chief Legal Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of Exact Sciences Corporation, a leading provider of cancer screening and diagnostic tests, including the Cologuard® colorectal cancer screening test.

Coward previously served as a partner in the firm’s Raleigh office, later leading the office as managing partner and serving on the firm’s management committee. Coward focuses his practice on corporate, capital markets, and mergers and acquisitions matters, as well as commercial contracting, licensing, and life sciences-related issues. He has deep experience in the molecular diagnostics industry. He brings more than three decades of experience spanning private practice, general counsel and executive leadership roles, and public company board service. 

“We are thrilled to welcome Scott back to K&L Gates and our Carolinas team,” said Brett Durham, managing partner of K&L Gates’ Charlotte office. “Scott has deep experience advising private and public companies at every stage of their life cycle. His return deepens our corporate and capital markets capabilities in the Carolinas and underscores our continued investment in the region. We are excited to welcome him back to the firm and look forward to the value he will bring clients across our global platform.”

“Scott brings an impressive combination of firm leadership, in-house executive experience, and public company board service that will be immensely valuable to our clients,” said Adam Tejeda, lead practice area leader of K&L Gates’ Corporate practice. “His background advising businesses through complex corporate transactions, governance matters, and strategic growth initiatives further strengthens our Corporate platform and enhances our ability to serve clients across a wide range of industries.”

During his tenure at Exact Sciences Corporation, Coward served as executive vice president, chief legal officer, general counsel, and secretary, where his responsibilities included legal, compliance, clinical and regulatory affairs, government relations, corporate affairs, real estate, and facilities. He was a member of the company’s executive leadership team and led integration efforts for the company’s US$2.8 billion acquisition of Genomic Health, while also serving as executive sponsor of major corporate expansion projects. Coward also served on the board of directors of Exact Sciences through its 2025 sale to Abbott Laboratories for approximately US$23 billion and has held numerous board and advisory roles for public and private companies throughout his career. 

The addition of Coward closely follows the arrivals of Raleigh labor and employment litigator Brodie Erwin and Charleston real estate finance partner Gavin Wait in July. Coward’s hire also builds on the momentum of recent Corporate practice growth, including the arrivals of Frankfurt partner Nils Rahlf, Dallas partner Patrick Knapp, London partner Sarah Pearce, and Hong Kong partners Yang Wang and Guiping Lu.

K&L Gates’ Corporate practice is one of the most substantial in the legal industry, with hundreds of lawyers assisting clients in the structuring, financing, and completion of domestic, international, and cross-border transactions. The group serves as counsel to a broad array of Global 500, Fortune 100, FTSE 100 corporations, privately held and venture-backed companies, partnerships, private equity firms, other investment funds, management groups, and entrepreneurs.