Praised for its ‘meticulous attention to detail’, Arnold & Porter is noted on the market for its strength in regulatory and life sciences product liability mandates and is additionally well-placed to handle patent litigation, transactional and cannabis investment work. Practice head Adela Williams  possesses extensive experience in providing regulatory advice for clinical trials, marketing authorisations, and medical devices across the UK and the EU, and frequently acts in product liability disputes. Jacqueline Mulryne advises on borderline classification, market access strategy and cross-border regulatory compliance mandates. Beatriz San Martin often appears before the CJEU and domestic courts in IP disputes and is well-versed in issues connected with synthetic biology, digital health and cell and gene therapies. Ewan Townsend's transaction-focused practice is valued by a range of biotech and pharmaceutical companies. Litigator and regulatory lawyer Eleri Williams and product liability expert Ian Dodds-Smith are further names to note.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘The team's offering is one of the best in the life sciences legal sector. I go to A&P for substantive expertise (both breadth and depth), industry knowledge, service-mindedness and value-for money.’

  • ‘The individuals I work with at Arnold & Porter have a clear understanding of my company, our products and the broader industry environment. They consistently apply their legal expertise to that context, and provide tailored, legally and practically robust advice in line with my needs.'

  • ‘The team I work with stand out due to their dedication to accuracy and their practical approach to legal matters.’

  • ‘I particularly value their meticulous attention to detail, which has been instrumental in providing thorough legal assessments and achieving successful legal outcomes for my company. Their commitment to excellence and their ability to navigate complex legal challenges are qualities that I highly value in them.’

  • ‘Excellent and practical legal advice due to their efforts in understanding the business and details of the issue at hand. Excellent management of international transactions/matters involving multiple countries in different geographies.’

  • ‘Ewan Townsend always brings a very unique perspective to any issue. He is the definition of an international lawyer working with me to solve issues across many countries. I always feel that I am his only client despite the fact that he has many clients.’

  • ‘Deep technical knowledge relevant to sectors of interest. ’

  • ‘Excellent advice on pharmaceutical regulatory law and good market practice knowledge.’

Key clients

  • Bayer
  • AstraZeneca
  • ABPI
  • Pfizer
  • Alexion
  • Janssen
  • Kyowa Kirin
  • Norgine
  • Orion Inc
  • Sanofi
  • Takeda
  • GSK

Work highlights

  • Acted for Bayer plc and Aventis Pharma (t/a Sanofi) in litigation arising from historic use of hormone pregnancy tests in the 1960s-1970s
  • Acted for Orion Corporation in proceedings before the Court of Justice of the EU in defence of the regulatory data protection attached to one of Orion’s medicinal products.
  • Represented Pfizer in negotiating multiple contracts with various governments and supranational bodies for supply and/or donation of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine and Pfizer’s antiviral medicinal product, Paxlovid

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 associates
Leading associates with regular involvement in their team's key work, and recognition from peers or clients as being ones to watch.
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Adela Williams

Other key lawyers

Ian Dodds-Smith, Jacqueline Mulryne, Beatriz San Martin, Ewan Townsend, Tom Fox, Libby Amos-Stone, Eleri Williams