Life Sciences: Transactional | UK

Cooley 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.

Covington & 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.

Goodwin represents life sciences companies, from start-ups to large global corporations, in a wide range of transactions. The firm's strengths include joint ventures, acquisitions, licensing and collaboration agreements. The team also has experience handling financing matters for SMEs, with particular expertise in Series B fundraising.

Gowling 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 also recognised for biotech and pharmaceutical patent litigation including disputes involving applications for SPCs, and draws on the firm's international presence to provide life sciences expertise across multiple jurisdictions.

Allen & Overy 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.

Bristows has a superb patent litigation and IP practice. It provides excellent advice on UK and European regulatory frameworks and also commercial and corporate transactions for emerging innovators as well as 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.

CMS' dedicated life sciences practice is recommended for commercial and corporate transactions and also 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.

Pinsent Masons has a sophisticated and successful patent litigation practice, which 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.

Simmons & 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.

Baker 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.

Bird & Bird has one of the finest IP and patent litigation practices in the world, routinely coordinating complex cross-border disputes. It has a 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.

Latham & Watkins advised Abcam, a producer of protein research tools, on a definitive agreement pursuant to which Danaher Corporation will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Abcam for US$24 per share in cash, with a total enterprise value of approximately US$5.7 billion.

Linklaters 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.

Slaughter and May combines magic circle corporate and commercial power with IP and life sciences sector expertise. The firm is best known for market-changing M&A deals, corporate finance, joint ventures and complex licensing arrangements. It acts for emerging companies as well as leading pharmaceutical companies and investors. It is able to draw on expertise from across the firm to advise on adjacent tax and competition issues.

Taylor 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 also branded manufacturers, which has pioneering experience handling cases involving biosimilar products. The team is also recommended for EPO patent oppositions.