Life sciences
Our award-winning life sciences practice offers comprehensive legal advice to the sector, leveraging extensive scientific and industry-specific insights to support our clients’ business objectives. Many of our specialists possess academic backgrounds – in fields such as biotechnology, chemistry, neuroscience and biochemical engineering – and have significant in-house experience gained within life sciences companies.
Experts embedded in the sector
At Penningtons Manches Cooper, we combine the excellence of City-trained lawyers with regional accessibility through our network of offices. Our life sciences team serves small and medium-sized clients, larger PLCs, multinational enterprises, and research organisations, as well as charities that sponsor programmes for clinical and medical research.
We possess extensive expertise in corporate law, guiding clients through funding rounds, mergers and acquisitions and IPOs. As our clients expand, we assist on the full breadth of transactional and commercial contracts, particularly in areas such as manufacturing and clinical trials. We are recognised as one of the leading firms in the fast growing area of AI deployment in healthcare and life sciences.
Our team works closely with academics, universities and research organisations to facilitate the licensing and commercialisation of innovative technologies and intellectual property, as well as the development of spin-out ventures. Additionally, our lawyers offer regulatory advice, with particular strength in the data and market exclusivity protections for new drug products in the UK and EU, including orphan drug-related exclusivities.
Our patent specialists provide freedom-to-operate and other legal opinions, as well as dispute resolution services, including litigation and arbitration. We advise in relation to data privacy laws as they impact on life sciences, especially concerning international data transfers, the use of clinical data and cybersecurity.
One of the go-to law firms for the biomedical community in the Oxford-Cambridge-London ‘golden triangle’.
The firm’s full-service offering enables us to supply seamless access to a broad range of other core business and legal services, including employment, immigration, real estate and tax planning.
With active involvement in a number of UK-based organisations that support the industry, such as OBN, One Nucleus, Medilink and CIPA, we maintain a well-established role in the life sciences sector. We also collaborate internationally through our extensive network of specialists across multiple jurisdictions.
How we help our clients
Spin-outs, start-ups and venture capital funding
M&A transactions and asset acquisitions and disposals
Commercial agreements, including research, collaboration, clinical trial, manufacture and supply, licensing agreements, technology transfer and ai deployment
Taxation issues including R&D tax credits and the ‘patent box’
Employment matters, employee relations and business protection
Immigration solutions; assistance with sponsor licensing, business visitors and EEA applications
Private and public debt and equity funding
Property and construction matters
Regulatory and competition issues
Patent and IP litigation, including cross-border litigation and arbitration
Resolution of contractual and other disputes
Insights
Recent work highlights
Cancer antibody development
Pharmaceutical EU launches
Cross-border vaccine licensing
Therapeutics biotech funding
AI tech healthcare company
IP matters for R&D funding agency
Leading cancer research charity
Medtech spin-out company funding
Diagnostic methods company sale
Biotech ecosystem commercial and IP advice
Sample management software
Pharmaceutical patent dispute
Leading cancer research charity
Medtech spin-out company funding
Diagnostic methods company sale
Biotech ecosystem commercial and IP advice
Sample management software
Pharmaceutical patent dispute
What our clients are saying
Penningtons Manches Cooper has cultivated a very strong niche in the patent transactions space.
A flair for the fine print of IP-rich transactions. No patent-related agreement is beyond its capabilities.
They have deep experience in understanding the requirements of both investors and investees and developing appropriate legal frameworks to meet these.
The team is very experienced and knowledgeable about university spin-outs, familiar with the typical contract terms and therefore making the process as efficient as possible.
…particularly well equipped to deal with any kind of transaction in the VC arena.
Contacts
Contact us
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