Life Sciences Corporate Partnering & Licensing

Cooley's leadership in corporate representation and mergers and acquisition counseling for life science companies provides a deep foundation of experience upon which we have established a dedicated team of corporate partnering and licensing attorneys.

Our senior team members are internationally recognized as being the best in their field.  Many of our professionals are backed by a wealth of supporting experience, having been pharmaceutical marketing specialists, business consultants, financial leaders, biotech researchers and in-house counsel at life science companies.

We have a solid understanding of the drug development and regulatory environment, expertise in early-stage R&D, late stage product deals, particular expertise in late-stage compound deals and specific knowledge of the sensitivities surrounding commercialization issues such as:

  • Indication splitting
  • Off-label sales
  • Product bundling

Key Facts

  • 25 dedicated professionals exclusively focused on corporate partnering, licensing and other commercial transactions specific to the life science industry
  • Nearly one third of the attorneys in the group have advanced degrees in relevant scientific disciplines
  • Many of the attorneys speak multiple languages and work extensively on cross-border transactions

Rankings and Accolades

Cooley clients are in bold.

  • Named "Law Firm of the Year" in Biotechnology by US News – Best Lawyers
  • Ranked #1 among U.S. law firms for number of attorneys included in Biotech Law category of Best Lawyers in America
  • Ranked #1 in Life Sciences by Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011
  • Consistently ranked #1 in the BioPharm Insight Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Licensing League Table Report for 2010 and 2011 YTD
  • Ranked #1 in issuer-side Life Science IPOs from 2000 to present (Source: IPO Vital Signs)
  • Ranked in top 10 nationally as underwriters' counsel for life sciences IPOs filed from 2004 to 2010 (Source: IPO Vital Signs)
  • Ranked #1 in 2010 and #2 in 2008 and 2009 in the U.S. for representation of venture-backed Biotech/Pharmaceuticals companies (Source: VentureSource)
  • Ranked #1 among U.S. law firms for number of attorneys included in Biotech Law category of Best Lawyers in America
  • Allicense "Breakthrough Deal of the Year" awarded to Cooley transactions:
      • 2010: Seattle Genetics/Millennium (nominated) & Amylin Pharmaceuticals/Takeda (nominated)
    • 2009: Exelixis, Inc./Bristol-Meyers Squibb (also nominated: Medivation, Inc./Pfizer, Inc.)
    • 2007: Affymax/ Takeda
    • 2006: Nuvelo/ Bayer
    • 2003: Eli Lilly/Amylin (also nominated: GSK/Exelixis)
    • 2002: Eli Lilly/ISIS Pharmaceuticals (also nominated: BMS/Exelixis)
    • 2000: Innovex/CV Therapeutics

Related Practices

Related Industries


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