Ranking tables
Life Sciences: Transactional | UK
UK-wide
Rankings overview for Departments
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Band 1

1 Cooley LLPLife Sciences: Transactional2026 | Band 1 | 11 Years RankedCooley advises on weighty IP-driven corporate and financing transactions. The firm is also a leading destination for complex licensing, joint venture and collaboration agreements. The team is experienced advising European companies listing on Nasdaq as a foreign private issuer or with a dual listing.
1 Covington & Burling LLPLife Sciences: Transactional2026 | Band 1 | 15 Years RankedCovington & Burling is a standout practice for complex regulatory matters. It represents drug makers in agency investigations and judicial review cases, and advises life sciences companies large and small on corporate and commercial transactions, including licence agreements, M&A deals and securities offerings. It is also recommended for advice on data privacy. The dispute resolution group handles a variety of contentious matters in the life sciences sector.
1 GoodwinLife Sciences: Transactional2026 | Band 1 | 6 Years RankedGoodwin represents emerging life sciences companies and their investors across early and growth stage financings, capital markets as well as M&A, strategic collaborations and licensing transactions. The firm's life sciences practice is known for its global reach and ability to advise innovators at every stage of the company lifecycle.

1 Gowling WLG (UK) LLPLife Sciences: Transactional2026 | Band 1 | 7 Years RankedGowling WLG's sterling commercial life sciences practice is recommended for complex licence, research and collaboration agreements. The firm is excellent for corporate and investment transactions involving spin-offs. It is also recognised for biotech and pharmaceutical patent litigation, including disputes involving applications for SPCs, drawing on the its international presence to provide life sciences expertise across multiple jurisdictions.
Band 2

2 A&O ShearmanLife Sciences: Transactional2026 | Band 2 | 16 Years RankedA&O Shearman has magic circle corporate resources combined with a deep commitment to the life sciences sector. The team has one of the most formidable patent litigation practices in the UK and Europe, and has recently taken cases before the Supreme Court. It advises on many of the most significant transactions of the day, and the firm draws on its international footprint to handle work in multiple jurisdictions including emerging markets.

2 Baker McKenzieLife Sciences: Transactional2026 | Band 2 | 12 Years RankedBaker McKenzie has a heavyweight transactional practice with extensive experience of M&A, joint ventures, technology transfer and collaboration agreements within the sector. The firm has a deep bench of commercial IP lawyers backed up by the resources and networks enjoyed by an international full-service firm, as demonstrated in recent multi-jurisdictional spin-off transactions.
2 Bristows LLPLife Sciences: Transactional2026 | Band 2 | 16 Years RankedBristows has a superb patent litigation and IP practice. It provides excellent advice on UK and European regulatory frameworks, as well as on commercial and corporate transactions for both emerging innovators and giants of the life sciences industry. It is a leading destination for advice with regard to digital health and medtech, and associated data privacy issues.

2 CMSLife Sciences: Transactional2026 | Band 2 | 16 Years RankedCMS' dedicated life sciences practice is recommended for commercial and corporate transactions, and for advice on UK and European regulatory frameworks. The team has the resources to take on the most complex M&A deals and joint ventures, and has additional expertise in product liability matters. The team is experienced in assessing the technical and regulatory challenges at the intersection of life sciences and technology, such as in relation to data mining and diagnostics.

2 Pinsent MasonsLife Sciences: Transactional2026 | Band 2 | 13 Years RankedPinsent Masons has a sophisticated and successful patent litigation practice that is particularly popular with generics manufacturers. The team has experience in representing clients in parallel proceedings before the European Patent Office and the EU Intellectual Property Office. The group is also engaged in life sciences, advising on licensing, M&A deals and securities offerings.

2 Simmons & Simmons LLPLife Sciences: Transactional2026 | Band 2 | 16 Years RankedSimmons & Simmons handles UK and European patent litigation, including disputes concerned with biosimilars and SPCs. It has sector-specific expertise with regard to licensing agreements of all kinds, M&A deals, joint ventures and IPOs.
Band 3

3 Bird & BirdLife Sciences: Transactional2026 | Band 3 | 16 Years RankedBird & Bird has one of the finest IP and patent litigation practices in the world, routinely coordinating complex cross-border disputes. It has deep and longstanding involvement in life sciences, with expertise in regulatory and compliance matters and commercial transactions in the sector. The team also advises on IP-led M&A and investment deals.

3 Latham & WatkinsLife Sciences: Transactional2026 | Band 3 | 2 Years RankedLatham & Watkins frequently handles high-value acquisitions, investments and capital market transactions on behalf of leading global names in life sciences. It also advises on cross-border licensing transactions.

3 LinklatersLife Sciences: Transactional2026 | Band 3 | 16 Years RankedLinklaters has a highly regarded transactional practice supported by magisterial knowledge of IP law in the context of life sciences. The firm is also highlighted for the quality of its patent litigation offering. A magic circle firm with the resources to handle the most complex and multi-jurisdictional deals and disputes, the team acts for drug and therapeutics innovators, hi-tech giants and financial institutions investing in the sector.
3 Taylor Wessing LLPLife Sciences: Transactional2026 | Band 3 | 16 Years RankedTaylor Wessing has an excellent transactional practice built on years of commitment to the sector, advising on collaboration, licensing, corporate and venture capital deals. It has a powerful patent litigation offering acting for generics and branded manufacturers that has pioneering experience handling cases involving biosimilar products. The team is also recommended for EPO patent oppositions.