Methodology
Welcome to LMG Life Sciences. The intricacies of life science products require a diverse array of legal expertise across many disciplines. From regulatory approval or patent filing to collaborative transactions or product liabilities, legal practitioners play an important role in guiding a product through its lifecycle. Furthermore, products born from biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical device, and agritech companies demand a sophisticated scientific understanding. Mindful of these difficulties, LMG Life Sciences 2013 hopes to present attorneys and firms in a way that speaks to the intricacies of both the legal market and the life sciences industry. The guide’s distinctive editorial structure highlights firms that specialize in four main practice areas by editorializing ranked firms, while listing our Life Sciences Stars in a way that show overlap between certain legal areas.
Research
Research for the entire publication was based on reviewing nearly 1000 interviews and surveys completed by partners active in the market. We talked to clients and leading lawyers to help inform our research process, while also reviewing public information.
Practice Area Chapters, League Tables, and Attorney Listings
The practice area section of the book is divided into four chapters: “Regulatory,” “Intellectual Property,” “Finance & Transactional” and “Non-IP Litigation and Enforcement.” We have also added a chapter dedicated to law firms based in Canada that practice in the life sciences industry. Within each of these chapters, we’ve ranked leading firms as either “Highly Recommended” or “Recommended” within a number of sub-categories. Editorial within this chapter corresponds with those ranked firms. These firms were chosen based most positive feedback, and were viewed as the market’s leading actors in a particular practice area. Additionally, we’ve listed Life Sciences Stars who were recommended consistently as reputable and effective attorneys servicing the industry at the end of each chapter. The Stars are listed in a manner that shows overlap between practices where checkmarks are listed next to attorney names underneath a practice area column heading. They were assigned based on surveys completed by or on behalf of those attorneys and are weighted by the percentage of time they claimed to dedicate to life sciences matters.
Life Cycle Firms
Only a small number of firms make it into this chapter. We feel the firms chosen to be listed here have a number of capabilities that allow them to handle pertinent legal issues facing a product throughout its life cycle. We chose firms based on the breadth of their life sciences practice and by meeting a threshold number of life sciences stars across at least three practice area chapters.
Canada
This year we added a chapter dedicated to Canada, which follows a similar breakdown where the market is parsed into four main practice areas: “Regulatory,” “Intellectual Property,” “Finance & Transactional” and “Product Liability.” Attorney’s practices are also separated into these categories. We hope you enjoy the second edition of LMG Life Sciences. All information was believed to be correct at the time of going to press.
The Research Team
LMG LIFE SCIENCES 2013
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