This article reveals the results of the 2012 Life Sciences Industry and Regulatory Super Leagues. The Super Leagues encompass the best firms according to our research, which have the highest number of recommendations for their practices and lawyers in industry and regulatory work, and which are spread over at least two continents (see box, Methodology).
The tables are based on the most recent rankings by PLC Which lawyer? for Life Sciences which can be found here, and is correct as of 29th February 2012.
Since the combination of Hogan & Hartson and Lovells in 2010, the Hogan Lovells life sciences practice has flourished, catapulting the firm to the top of the 2012 Super League. The firm continues to make strategic hires in core jurisdictions, most recently with the widely publicised addition of Carla Schoonderbeek who, with her team, joined Hogan Lovells from NautaDutilh in The Netherlands in July 2011. Carla bolsters the Dutch life sciences offering for the firm and is a specialist in regulatory matters for the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. It is with this outstanding addition to the practice that Hogan Lovells newly tops the Regulatory Super League this year.
The firm's superior transatlantic presence affords Hogan Lovells a reputation as a global life sciences powerhouse and the extensive network across Europe and Asia highlights an increasingly enviable footprint. The firm is renowned for its regulatory capabilities and boasts a wealth of top-tier practitioners including Bert Oosting in Amsterdam, Elisabethann Wright in Brussels, Joerg Schickert in Munich and Phillip Katz in Washington DC. Enriched by a formidable patent litigation practice crossing a number of key jurisdictions, the Hogan Lovells life sciences group is deservedly listed as world class.
Covington's reputation for excellence in life sciences continues to impress both in-house and private practitioners alike. With a core of outstanding clients in the pharmaceutical, medical device and biotech industries, the firm has forged worldwide relationships with leading companies in these fields. Covington prides itself on its strategic focus on the cutting edge issues within the life sciences industry and is known for its outside of the box approach to complex legal issues. Covington's strategic venture into emerging markets has been notably marked with their entry into China, and they continue to make headway in the region spearheaded from the Beijing office.
The firm is regarded as a leader in regulatory issues in core hotspots including Brussels, London and Washington DC. Richard Kingham continues to remain a trailblazer in FDA and EU regulatory matters, maintaining a transatlantic practice from Washington DC and London. The EU regulatory practice is headed by Peter Bogaert from Brussels who, with Grant Castle as his London counterpart, achieves an unbeatable expertise in life sciences regulatory matters.
The spring of 2011 saw the dramatic enhancement of the London practice with the hire of Paul Claydon and his team from US firm Morrison & Foerster. The life sciences focused corporate team joined the firm in May 2011 and have impressively bolstered the London offering. While the firm consciously does not compete in geographic breadth with many other international firms, its undeniable depth of knowledge in the life sciences space is unrivalled.
This firm's strength lies across the board in the key life sciences competencies. Arnold & Porter is unquestionably a leader in life sciences regulatory matters with market leading professionals providing on the ground advice in Brussels, London and Washington DC; an extraordinary example of the strategic transatlantic reach in the core regulatory locations. Dan Kracov in Washington DC spearheads the firm's FDA practice and is a recognised expert in US life sciences regulatory matters. Arnold & Porter boasts an exemplary product liability practice in the UK led by Ian Dodds-Smith, whose reputation for pharmaceutical regulatory and product liability issues in England and the EU precedes him. The firm continues to excel in all facets of life sciences, including patent litigation and competition, and is a firm of great strength in the US and EU.
Sidley Austin's climb within the Super League further exemplifies the firm's drive to create a truly leading life sciences practice. Under the lead of Scott Bass, the firm's US life sciences regulatory and government enforcement practice is among the best in the country. It is the go to firm for many leading industry clients, and Sidley appears as a panel firm for many of them. Sidley's reputation in the US is reflected across the water in both Brussels and Beijing, where the firm has made major investment into creating leading practices, headed by Maurits Lugard and Chen Yang respectively. The EU practice is well known for both competition and regulatory expertise, and hosts a team of talented practitioners who provide sound advice to clients from all life sciences related industries.
Bird & Bird's practice incorporates both breadth and depth in the life sciences space and the firm's unique offering is admirable. The firm is most notably recognised for its outstanding UK life sciences practice. They are an undisputed leader in UK pharmaceutical law and their reputation on this basis is visible on a global scale. The firm's patent litigation practice is strongest from its UK base headed by expert regulatory and IP lawyer, Trevor Cook. However, the firm boasts an excellent network of offices across Europe and Asia with a life sciences offering in a number of countries including Belgium, China, Finland, France, Germany, Italy and Sweden, among others. The firm continues to do well in this area and its particularly strong European practice continues to set Bird & Bird apart from its competitors.
This UK firm has remained stable at number six in the Super League and continues to offer a wealth of life sciences expertise across Europe. Simmons has retained its strength in the core practices across a number of key jurisdictions including England, France, Germany and Italy, and has continued to work for a number of core clients in the life sciences industry. The UK hire of expert practitioner Marjan Noor in 2010 significantly bolstered the patent and regulatory practices for the firm, and demonstrated an ongoing investment by the firm into the life sciences industry. Simmons is particularly recognised in France for its product liability work, while the Italian practice has a well regarded reputation for both regulatory and corporate matters in the pharmaceutical space.
Baker & McKenzie continues to boast the Super League's broadest network of offices across the globe and is unrivalled in its footprint into key emerging markets. The firm has a substantial life sciences presence in a number of jurisdictions including Poland, Russia and Thailand where it is regarded as a leader in the field. A continued investment by industry players into Latin America allows Baker & McKenzie's Brazilian offering to flourish, and sees Hercules Celescuekci lead the Sao Paulo based team to success for many important industry clients. The firm's IP and regulatory practice is well regarded by the market, and the sheer breadth of Baker and McKenzie's offering means that this firm is often the preferred option for many key life sciences companies.
This year, Freshfields has climbed the Super League one spot to eighth position, and continues to hold itself out as a leader in life sciences with the core competencies established in strategic offices across the globe. The German practice remains impressively strong across all areas, and in particular the firm professes excellence in patent litigation under the expert instruction of Frank-Eric Hufnagel and Peter Chrocziel. This Magic Circle firm remains relatively leaner than other practices within the Super League. However, the sheer calibre of the expertise within key offices has continued to impress and push their position upwards in this year's table.
WilmerHale boasts a strong transatlantic life sciences practice with substantial offerings from offices in Frankfurt, Germany and both Boston and New York in the US. The firm's life sciences practice spans a number of competencies, but holds particular acclaim for its expertise in corporate and commercial matters for industry leaders. WilmerHale's strategic positioning within Boston and Frankfurt provides the firm with an enviable proximity to a number of key biotech and venture capital clients.
This Magic Circle firm retains its position within the 2012 Super League and continues to excel in its European life sciences practice, with core experience emanating from its German and Spanish offices. Peter Dieners, from the Dusseldorf office, leads a remarkable team in regulatory affairs and has a particular reputation for his work in pricing and reimbursement matters before the German authorities. From the firm's Barcelona office, a national leading pharmaceutical patent practice is spearheaded by practice leader, Miquel Montañá. While the firm continues to strategically drive its presence into emerging markets, the life sciences practice retains a stellar reputation in a selection of key jurisdictions.
Allen & Overy has this year climbed the Super League by two places, and has continued to carve out a remarkable niche in pan-European pharmaceutical patent litigation. The London office hosts a team of dedicated IP practitioners unlike any other firm of Allen & Overy's background, and Nicola Dagg has been widely remarked as a leader in her field. Dagg's practice is reflected and complimented in a number of jurisdictions, most notably in Allen and Overy's Brussels and Paris Offices, where the reputation of both Geert Glas and Pierre Lenoir respectively attract a number of industry clients. The firm's solid IP practice is further strengthened by a strong EU Competition capability, where both the Polish and Spanish offices have become leaders in the field.
Dechert remains a non-mover in the Super League this year and retains a strong presence within France and the US. The firm's Paris corporate life sciences practice compliments the US life sciences group, which has particular strength in the areas of product liability and anti-trust, and the firm remains a household name for its work in the Merck Vioxx litigation.
While the loss of Morrison & Foerster's corporate life sciences group in London to Covington & Burling represents a major hit for the firm's global life sciences capability, the firm continues to remain a top 15 law firm within the 2012 Super League. Morrison & Foerster continues to lead the way for international firms establishing a life sciences practice in Japan, and the firm's outbound work in this space continues to thrive. Despite recent events, the London office remains a stronghold of commercial experience and the expertise of Julian Thurston is well regarded among competitors. Naturally, this global firm has a continued investment in the US with nine offices across the country, and as such is able to successfully deal with a wealth of global life sciences matters.
Morgan Lewis is a new entry to the Super League this year, having retained a place in the regulatory charts in 2011 and 2012. The firm's reputation in regulatory matters for both pharmaceutical and medical device companies remains impressive, and the Washington DC based team led by Stephen Mahinka and Kathleen Sanzo continues to attract a number of key industry clients. The UK regulatory practice led from the London office is well regarded by the market and with a presence in Japan, this firm has a truly global life sciences footprint.
A newcomer to the 2012 Super League, Norton Rose has made incredible investment over the past few years in the life sciences space. Through strategic mergers in a number of key jurisdictions, the firm has bolstered its life sciences capabilities, most notably by the mergers with Ogilvy Renault and McLeod Dixon in Canada, and Deacons in Australia. The firm now boasts an extensive international network and delivers a breadth of core life sciences competencies on a global basis.
Salans is well known for its European offering in a number of practice areas and the life sciences industry continues to be of utmost importance to the firm. The French practice remains the pinnacle of the firm-wide life sciences group, and boasts sound competition, corporate, patent litigation, product liability and regulatory expertise which, when supported by offices in Germany, Poland and the Russian Federation, can offer good pan-European advice to industry clients.
At joint sixteenth place with Salans, Taylor Wessing is a new entry to the Super League this year, with a breadth of life sciences expertise from its offices based in England, France and Germany. The firm has a well regarded practice in the life sciences industry and boasts expertise in the areas of corporate, commercial, IP and regulatory matters relating to pharmaceutical clients. The UK corporate and commercial practice is particularly strong and acts for a number of industry leaders.
Jones Day has a unique offering across the globe with offices in a number of key jurisdictions, most notably China and Hong Kong, France, Germany, Japan and the USA. The firm has a respectable life sciences practice across Asia, headed by corporate and commercial partner Tony Chen, and with a wealth of industry clients serviced across the globe, Jones Day is deservedly placed within the 2012 Super League.
SJ Berwin is a UK powerhouse for life sciences matters in core areas including corporate and commercial deals, patent litigation and regulatory affairs. With a recognised life sciences offering from its Munich office, the firm is another new entry to the life sciences Super League. David Rose, based in the London office, leads an exceptionally strong IP litigation practice with a focus on pharmaceutical patents, and remains a go to practitioner for many key generic pharmaceutical companies worldwide.
The CMS network is both unique in its breadth of locations and enviable in its depth of legal expertise. This full service firm has a well founded reputation in the life sciences area, and a particularly strong practice can be found in its Czech, English, Hungarian and Polish offices. The firm's broadly spread regulatory practice is well regarded and complimented by expertise in competition, corporate and IP matters, often on a cross border basis.
The Hengeler Mueller life sciences practice boasts a strong German and European regulatory offering, accompanied by a respectable competition practice which attracts a number of domestic and international life sciences clients. A new entry to the Super League this year, Hengeler will, with its strong best friend network of leading firms across the globe, remain a firm to watch in this space for 2012.
Rank | Firm | Total Score | Number of Recommended Lawyers | Recommended in... |
1 (1) | 389 | 32 | China and Hong Kong, England, European Union, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Poland, Russian Federation and USA | |
2 (2) | 313 | 29 | Belgium, England, European Union and USA | |
3 (4) | 244 | 15 | England, European Union and USA | |
4 (5) | 225 | 20 | Belgium, China and Hong Kong, European Union and USA | |
5 (3) | 225 | 19 | Belgium, China and Hong Kong, England, Finland, France, Germany, Italy and Sweden | |
6 (6) | 179 | 15 | England, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands | |
7 (7) | 174 | 21 | Brazil, China and Hong Kong, Czech Republic, England, European Union, France, Germany, Hungary, Japan, Poland, Russian Federation, Spain and Thailand | |
8 (9) | 142 | 11 | Austria, China and Hong Kong, England, European Union, Germany, Italy, Japan and The Netherlands | |
9 (8) | 138 | 10 | Germany and USA | |
10 (10) | 123 | 5 | England, European Union, Germany and Spain | |
11 (13) | 105 | 9 | Belgium, England, France, Poland and Spain | |
12 (12) | 104 | 10 | France and USA | |
13 (11) | 102 | 7 | England, Japan and USA | |
14 (-) | 91 | 5 | England, Japan and USA | |
15 (-) | 84 | 10 | Australia, Canada and France | |
16= (15) | 82 | 6 | France, Germany, Poland and Russian Federation | |
16= (-) | 82 | 6 | England, France and Germany | |
18 (14) | 80 | 7 | Australia, China and Hong Kong, European Union, France, Germany, Japan and USA | |
19 (-) | 76 | 5 | England and Germany | |
20 (-) | 65 | 6 | Czech Republic, England, Hungary and Poland |
Rank | Firm | Total Score | Number of Recommended Lawyers | Recommended in... |
1 (2) | 115 | 13 | England, European Union, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands and USA | |
2 1) | 115 | 10 | Belgium, England, European Union and USA | |
3 (5) | 78 | 6 | Belgium, European Union and USA | |
4 (3) | 72 | 3 | England, European Union and USA | |
5 (4) | 61 | 8 | Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Spain and Thailand | |
6 (6) | 36 | 4 | England, Finland, France, Italy and Sweden | |
7 (7) | 35 | 2 | European Union, Germany and Spain | |
8 (10) | 32 | 3 | England and USA | |
9 (-) | 28 | 2 | European Union and Germany | |
10 (8) | 26 | 3 | England, France and Italy |
The Life Sciences Industry and Regulatory Super Leagues are based on the PLC Which lawyer? research conducted for the PLC Life Sciences multi-jurisdictional guide (see www.practicallaw.com/lifesciences-mjg). The rankings in this article are based on the position online as at 29 February 2012.
1. Basis of the PLC Which lawyer? research: our team of researchers speak to leading legal practices throughout the year, as well as with clients who have recently instructed lawyers, to identify the best known specialists/practices across the key corporate and commercial areas globally. We monitor and analyse recent deal/case information across these areas to identify the firms most active in the market, as well as conducting peer review exercises among the leading practices. On the basis of this research, we rank lawyers and law firms for their expertise in life sciences. For a full explanation of the research and practice areas/subcategories covered, please visit www.practicallaw.com/whichlawyer.
2. Life sciences practice areas included in the research: regulatory, intellectual property (or patent litigation in some jurisdictions), corporate and commercial (or commercial and partnering, and corporate in some jurisdictions), patent counselling, product liability, and competition/anti-trust. For the US, regulatory (medical devices), and government enforcement and investigations are also researched. In Canada, England, Germany and the US, pricing and reimbursement is also researched.
3. Law firms are ranked in each practice area as "leading", "highly recommended", "recommended" or "recognised" in the jurisdictions in which they have relevant capability. Individual lawyers with strong reputations in this sector are singled out as "endorsed".
4. The Life Sciences Industry Super League results are calculated by aggregating the results of law firm and lawyer recommendations in all of the above practice areas across 35 jurisdictions, with different points allocated to the level of recommendation. Firm recommendations are given more weighting than individual rankings. Firm and lawyer recommendations received in England, the European Union, France, Germany, Italy and the US are given more weighting than other jurisdictions. To qualify for inclusion in the Super League, a firm must receive recommendations in a minimum of two countries. The Life Sciences Regulatory Super League results are calculated using the same methodology, but are based on law firm and lawyer recommendations in only the regulatory and regulatory (medical devices) practice areas.
5. Firms are ranked by total score and then by number of recommended lawyers. Therefore if firms receive identical scores they are ranked in accordance with which firm has the most recommended lawyers.
6. Policy on mergers: points are aggregated if a full merger has been implemented before the calculations for the Super Leagues commence. Correspondent and alliance firms are not included.
7. Firm names are abbreviated to those used in the home jurisdiction.
