Praised for its ability to provide creative solutions tailored to bespoke situations, Linklaters LLP assists a litany of major pharmaceutical, biotech, digital health and medical device companies with work including transactions, patent and trade mark litigations and licensing disputes. Marly Didizian, described as ‘first choice for the tricky stuff’, co-heads the team and is noted on the market for her ability to handle high-profile pharma mergers and carve-outs. Fellow co-head Aisling Zarraga is equipped to handle matters spanning M&A, joint ventures and corporate governance advisory work. IP expert Yohan Liyanage assists clients with IP transactions and patent litigation. Trade mark and patent disputes are staples of Ian Karet’s far-reaching practice. Katie Coltart has a proven track record in coordinating cross-border patent litigation.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘The team is able to navigate complex environments and provide creative solutions tailored to bespoke situations. A key strength is their client knowledge and availability of key partners that helped us to manage material risks.’
‘I have valued the team's ability to operate as a sounding board. Partners were always available to help. Marly Didizian and Aisling Zarraga were instrumental in structuring and providing advice. Particular praise in the last year should go to Marc Harvey for his work in navigating complex cross-border disputes.’
‘Excellent knowledge and collegiate team. ’
‘Marly Didizian is an expert in carve-outs, supply chain, AI and data and many other things. The depth of experience when it comes to separations, carve-outs and life-sciences issues is unbeatable. ’
‘I’ve worked with Linklaters on a number of different commercial arrangements, often ones that haven’t really been done before. Their team has many years of experience, is super commercial, really knows market practice, is excellent technically but they don’t over-complicate things – and is always better than the other side.'
‘Marly Didizian is always my first choice for the tricky stuff – she gets to the commercial heart of any complicated supply chain set up, can brainstorm on the spot, has our back totally covered and makes it look easy. I don’t know anyone else with her experience. Really great to work with, she is totally hands-on and also very ‘inclusive’ of her team and generally.’
Key clients
- Gavi, the Global Vaccines Alliance
- Apax Partners
- The Carlyle Group
- Fresenius
- PAI Partners
- Hg Capital
- Bayer
- Nestlé
- Takeda Pharmaceuticals
- McKesson Corporation
- Merck & Co., Inc.
- Sanofi
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals
- ViiV
- Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc
Work highlights
- Advised Thermo Fisher on its £2.3bn acquisition of The Binding Site Group.
- Advising Novo Holdings A/S on the merger control, foreign investment and foreign subsidies aspects of its proposed $16.5bn acquisition of Catalent.
- Advised Tesaro, a subsidiary of GSK plc, in defending a lawsuit filed by AstraZeneca worth several hundred million pounds. In February 2024, the Court of Appeal handed down its judgment unanimously finding for Tesaro and allowing the appeal, representing a significant win for our client.
Lawyers
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.
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Aisling Zarraga, Marly Didizian, Yohan Liyanage