Industry focus: Healthcare and life sciences

Hall of Fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.
Hall of fameOsborne Clarke
In a legal career spanning more than 20 years, Maria Grazia has become a trusted point of reference for those multinational companies in the Life Sciences & Healthcare and Real Estate development sectors that intend to locate their business in Italy. She is Head of the Life Sciences and Healthcare team in Italy and as Osborne Clarke’s Italian specialist in each of these sectors, she heads up an experienced team that counsels a multinational client base. Her practice also focuses on real estate and leisure. Her specialism in life sciences and pharmaceuticals draws on technical acumen acquired while working with the industry, and it’s this practical knowledge that means her clients receive razor-sharp insight and guidance daily. The advice she provides covers the many complex areas, including litigation, facing the sector, such as: the production and sale of pharmaceutical products, active ingredients, medical devices, and food supplements; regulatory procedures for the granting of market authorisation, pricing and reimbursement of medicinal products; and representing clients before the regulatory agencies and in proceedings before the administrative courts. Maria Grazia also counsels Italian and international companies in the development, construction, and operation of real-estate complexes to be used for office, sanitary, retail and leisure use. At the same time, she has built over two decades’ experience assisting clients in the cinema sector, including advising on cinema advertising. She received her J.D. cum laude from the Sapienza University of Rome and she is admitted to appear before the Italian Supreme Court.
Paola La Licata
Hall of fameLS CUBE Studio Legale
Vincenzo Salvatore
Hall of fameSimmons & Simmons
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Chiomenti
Luca advises Italian and international clients on extraordinary transactions on commercial law and contracts matters with a focus on assisting entrepreneurs and multinational companies operating in various industrial sectors. Luca has gained a wealth of experience in real estate law sectors that have specific features such as hotels, and “trophy assets”. He is also one of the coordinators of the pharma, healthcare and life sciences practices of the Firm.
Gitti and Partners
Partner Paola, a partner of the firm, mainly focuses on contracts, corporate law and regulatory matters. She has developed considerable experience in negotiating and drafting complex international contracts, including share purchase agreements, joint venture contracts, licenses and high-tech services contracts. She has also gained significant experience in the field of compliance, personal data protection and anti-corruption legislation, and guides her clients in legal matters in highly regulated areas. Paola mainly assists companies active in the healthcare and life sciences sectors (both in the pharmaceutical and med-tech fields), but also companies offering new technologies, renewable energy and advanced services that require sophisticated and innovative legal solutions. Paola was recognized every year between 2013 and 2023 by “Who’s Who Legal - Life Sciences” in the “Transactional” and “Regulatory” sections as "a sterling practitioner who is endorsed by peers for her regulatory expertise and experience in the life sciences area", "frequently recommended by peers for the superb standard of her regulatory work in the sector" and "a life sciences specialist, revered for her distinguished practice which sees her involved in a range of licensing, joint ventures and M&A transactions". She has also been recommended by “The Legal 500”. In 2023, “The Legal 500” identified Paola as a Leading Individual in the practice “Healthcare and life sciences”: “Led by experienced Milan-based Paola Sangiovanni, Gitti and Partners predominantly assists multinational medical device and pharmaceutical product manufacturers, along with healthcare sector start-ups, and Italian and foreign hospitals. The practice’s scope of expertise includes corporate and commercial law, M&A, regulatory issues, data protection compliance, and litigation. Sangiovanni is experienced in national and international contracts, stock acquisitions, and joint venture, licensing and high-tech services agreements”.  
Roberto Cursano
Studio Professionale Associato a Baker & McKenzie
Luca Masotti
Masotti Cassella
Avvocato, admitted to the Italian Bar (Milan) and admitted as a Solicitor in the UK. Areas of practice are corporate and commercial: national and international M&A, joint ventures, private equity transactions; corporate compliance; commercial litigation Specialized in assisting manufacturers and distributors of medical and surgical devices and is Member of the Board of Directors of three such companies.
Rosanna Sovani
LS CUBE Studio Legale
Roberto Valenti
Hall of fameDLA Piper
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Dentons
Ilaria is a Partner in Dentons' Milan office and a member of the Public Law and Regulatory practice. She deals with public law assisting (in and out the Court) private clients in all the matters involving public entities. She has a deep knowledge of the infrastructure and health care sector. She focuses on public procurement matters, assisting clients that participate in Italian public procurement bids for supply, services, concession of public service, construction and management under project financing, as well as in entrusting of local public services, providing legal assistance in relation to the various phases of the tender procedure and the performance of the awarded agreement. Moreover, with specific reference to the Life Sciences sector, Ilaria has also gained an extensive experience in the health care and pharmaceutical sector, with specific reference to the Life Sciences sector, the authorization and accreditation decree, dealing with all the issues related to their transfer in the field of corporate transactions involving private facilities providing health and socio-medical services (as part of the national health system) and the so-called pharmaceutical pay-back.
Marco de Morpurgo
DLA Piper
Leading associates
Rising stars with regular involvement in their team's key work, and recognition from peers or clients as being ones to watch.
Herbert Smith Freehills LLP
Sara Balice is an Of Counsel in the IP disputes team at Herbert Smith Freehills, with over 15 years of experience. She specializes in IP law, advising both local and international clients on contentious and non-contentious matters. Her expertise covers patents, trademarks, design, copyright, trade secrets, and unfair competition. Sara is particularly focused on the life sciences industry, where she is involved in complex multijurisdictional patent and SPC litigations, often representing originator companies against generics. Sara also has extensive experience in drafting and negotiating IP license agreements, clinical trial agreements, and material transfer agreements, and she advises on product advertising in the healthcare and life sciences sectors. She is known for her high technical knowledge and has built strong relationships with clients due to her legal acumen and litigation skills. Recognized by international and Italian legal publications, Sara's practice spans multiple industries, including healthcare, life sciences, consumer goods, fashion, TMT, industrial, and automotive.
Mario Cigno
Studio Professionale Associato a Baker & McKenzie