Taylor Wessing LLP in Cambridge 'provides a highly proficient and accessible legal support to biotechs'. The group assists spin-outs, early-stage and multinational companies, as well as their investors, and also handles the commercialisation of new products in the life sciences and deep tech sectors for the global market. IP licensing specialist Adrian Toutoungi and VC investment partner Ross McNaughton lead 'a dynamic team that works extremely well together to support some of the most innovative biotech start-up clients in the UK'. Life sciences licensing and commercialisation partner Colin McCall is 'top-notch, a solid go-to collaborator across all types of legal contract'. Up-and-coming partner Tasmina Goraya also stands out.
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘The team at Taylor Wessing has been extremely helpful during our fundraising process. They fully understand our needs and challenges as a biotechnology company whilst facilitating our engagement with VCs. ’
‘We have mainly dealt with Colin McCall, who is amazing with collaborations, and Ross McNaughton, who has been helping with the investment part and dealing with VCs.’
'Colin McCall has shepherded numerous high-tech businesses in the Cambridge ecosystem through their early growth. His sector knowledge is second-to-none and he has a razor-sharp focus on what issues are of concern and what can be let go of.'
- 'Charlie Adams is an outstanding commercial lawyer with great practical experience of all types contracts in this space. Oli Denne is an immensely capable corporate lawyer who can be trusted with any issue that would otherwise need Ross McNaughton's attention.’
‘Colin McCall is extremely knowledgeable and measured in his approach to collaboration and partnering transactions. He is great at problem-solving and navigating complex negotiations which is invaluable to us as a client. His commitment to his work is really impressive, always making the time to accommodate our needs as a fast growing biotech.’
‘A dynamic team that works extremely well together to support some of the most innovative biotech start-up clients in the UK. A total "go to" firm.’
‘Adrian Toutoungi has immense knowledge and sector experience, as well as the sharpest technical mind I have ever come across in a lawyer. He identifies issues with absolute precision and delivers solutions accordingly - an extremely astute practitioner and safe pair of hands.'
'Ross McNaughton brings an engaging style and can-do attitude to corporate work and draws on experience from having delivered every kind of corporate transaction from the smallest funding round through complex restructurings to IPOs. You can count on Ross to understand what you need and help you achieve it whilst taking away stress and obstacles.'
Key clients
- Apollo Therapeutics
- BaseImmune
- Tagomics
- Infinitopes
- Camena Biosciences
- Theramex
- Alveogene
- Pfizer
- Neobe
- Multiomic Health
Work highlights
- Advised Apollo Therapeutics Group Limited in relation to their $260 million series C fundraise. Apollo is a Cambridge-headquartered biopharmaceutical company progressing transformative treatments based on breakthrough discoveries. This deal was the largest UK private life sciences fundraise of 2023.
- Acting for Pfizer in the UK in patent revocation proceedings against uniQure. This innovator vs innovator dispute concerns Pfizer's and uniQure's rival gene therapy products for the treatment of haemophilia B.
- Advised Infinitopes, a spin-out from Cancer Research UK, on all aspects of its Series Seed fundraise. Infinitopes is working at the cutting edge of antigen discovery, immunology, vaccinology to create highly efficient cancer vaccines targeting a range of different cancers.
Lawyers
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Adrian Toutoungi, Ross McNaughton