With a strong contentious healthcare practice, Altana is particularly well regarded for product liability class actions, a reputation cemented by having acted on the first action of this kind in France. Experienced in litigation before the civil, administrative and criminal courts, the team also routinely appears before healthcare regulators both domestically and in multi-jurisdictional cases. The practice has further expertise in IP, notably patent law. On the transactional side, the group is retained by several corporates and investors on M&A and joint venture mandates, particularly in emerging markets. Armand Aviges, Jean-Nicolas Soret and Gilles Gaillard. Frank Valentin left the firm in 2021.

Providing an 'integrated and complete service', Dechert LLP advises laboratories, life sciences companies and private equity investors, who rely on the practice's transactional expertise. On the regulatory side, the department is equally balanced between its private and public law offering; up-and-coming partner Sophie Pelé is the key contact. The practice is also noted for its antitrust capabilities, with co-head Mélanie Thill-Tayara leading on these cases. Her counterpart Alain Decombe is highly regarded for corporate work, advising on reorganisations, asset deals and international commercial transactions within the sector. Other key names in the group include Anne-Charlotte Rivière, Jacques Sivignon for contentious work and Marie Fillon for IP matters.

Dentons is particularly sought after for transactional work in the life sciences sector, where its highly regarded M&A group is retained by leading industry players, typically advising blue-chip industrial clients and investment funds on large-cap transformational deals. Corporate partners and practice co-heads Anne-Laure Marcerou and Jean-Marc Grosperrin are the key contacts, and Grosperrin also jointly leads the firm's global life sciences group. On the regulatory side, the team is well versed in working with the French healthcare authorities. Senior counsel Pascale Poupelin is highly regarded for drug market access matters. Focusing on tax, regulatory and market access issues, co-head Julien Le Guyader is another name to note.

McDermott Will & Emery AARPI stands out for its 'deep technical understanding of the specific requirements in biotech' and its transactional expertise. The team has a strong track record for strategic M&A, often with an international slant, particularly across Europe, the US and Asia. Supported by highly capable regulatory and patent licensing practices, the department can also call on the wider offering at the firm to advise on IP, data privacy, employment, antitrust and tax matters. Team head Emmanuelle Trombe advises pharmaceutical, medical device and biopharmaceutical companies on corporate and commercial mandates, while Anthony Paronneau specialises in M&A, licensing and private equity transactions.

Distinguished by its 'multi-disciplinary expertise in both contentious and regulatory matters', Viguié Schmidt & Associés is retained by leading medical device manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies. Practice co-head Etienne Gouesse is particularly experienced in representing the latter, advising on pricing, marketing and product liability matters, as well as leading litigation before the administrative, civil and commercial courts. His counterpart Iñaki Saint-Esteben specialises in antitrust law, with a strong track record in cartel, abuse of dominance and merger control cases. On the transactional side, the team is experienced in advising on high-profile M&A in the life sciences sector.

Representing leading pharmaceutical companies and clients specialised in medical devices, August Debouzy is highly regarded for its expertise in pharmaceutical patent litigation before the domestic and European courts. Joint practice head François Pochart, who is described as 'very knowledgeable, confident and experienced', leads on these matters alongside co-head Grégoire Desrousseaux. A further area of expertise for the team is assisting insurers of medical device manufacturers which are the subject of product liability proceedings. Co-head Alexandra Cohen-Jonathan is the key contact for these cases.

Best known for its expertise in patent law, Bird & Bird has also carved out a niche in advising clients in the life sciences sector on their digital transformation and the regulatory frameworks surrounding the use of digital technologies. Ariane Mole and Merav Griguer are both highly regarded in this field. More conventionally, the practice brings together specialists in corporate, regulatory and data protection work to provide a full-service offering to large biotech and healthcare companies. IP expert Yves Bizollon is a go-to name for patent litigation, while department head Emmanuelle Porte is the key contact for corporate work.

With a client list featuring some of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies, Clifford Chance continues to be involved in high-profile litigation in the life sciences sector; notably, Thomas Baudesson and 'sharp and convincing' counsel Gaëlle Merlier are representing Pfizer in a major class action suit relating to its former vaccine Meningitec. On the regulatory side, the department advises on the entire product life cycle and has developed niche expertise in the cannabis/hemp products industry. Other key names in the practice include compliance expert Olivier Gaillard and antitrust specialist David Tayar. Counsel Loïc Lemercier joined from August Debouzy in October 2019, bringing experience in a range of cross-border IP matters.

E-healthcare makes up a key part of work of the 'particularly technology-savvy' team at De Gaulle Fleurance & Associés, which brings together experts in data protection, regulatory and IT matters to assist clients such as L'Alliance Digitale contre le Covid-19 with the contractual, regulatory and personal health data issues surrounding product launches. The practice is jointly led by Jean-Marie Job and Cécile Théard-Jallu, both of whom are recognised regulatory and IT specialists, and Blandine Fauran, who has a strong track record in competition matters.

With a client list featuring leading domestic and global laboratories, the practice at Gide Loyrette Nouel A.A.R.P.I. is best known for its strength in patent litigation, covering the full range of related work. Highlights in the last year have included the granting and extension of patents, in addition to infringement and nullity actions; Raphaëlle Dequiré-Portier is the name to note for this work. Other key lawyers include Dimitri Dimitrov, who specialises in competition and distribution matters; the 'extremely knowledgeable' Anne Tolila, who handles transactional mandates; and Arnaud Duhamel, who is highly regarded for equity capital markets work in the sector, with a practice focused on securities offerings.

With an 'in-depth understanding of the French healthcare market and biotech challenges', Hogan Lovells (Paris) LLP is particularly focused on high-profile product liability cases, where Christelle Coslin is a go-to name for cross-border and mass tort litigation. The department has an equally able regulatory group: Charlotte Damiano is retained by several major pharmaceutical companies to advise on pricing and reimbursement and market access issues, and practice head Mikael Salmela is a recognised regulatory expert specialising in bringing products to market from the earliest stages, including R&D and clinical trials. Stanislas Roux-Vaillard is the key contact for patent work, regularly defending patents in pharma and biotech cases.

Winston & Strawn LLP's 'deep understanding of the market and technical understanding of the regulations' is highly valued by its diverse client portfolio of providers, clinics, laboratories, private equity funds and investors, with an offering covering regulatory, antitrust, corporate, litigation and financing matters. The transactional side of the practice has a strong track record for both M&A and private equity mandates; Jean-Patrice Labautière is particularly skilled in this area. Gilles Bigot leads the team, acting for a mix of domestic and European clients in both regulatory and contentious matters. Anne-Carine Ropars-Furet, Julie Vern Cesano-Gouffrant and Mathilde Lefranc-Barthe are further key contacts.

BCTG Avocats is the adviser of choice for several healthcare generics companies, manufacturers and cosmetics labels, which benefit from the firm's broad expertise, covering production all the way through to sales. Practice head Hugues Villey-Desmeserets has a strong track record of advising on the establishment of commercial policies, and is experienced in representing clients before various professional associations, the French Competition Authority and the General Directorate for Competition Policy, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF). The wider practice has also continued to develop its e-commerce capabilities.

Delsol Avocats is retained by several pharmaceutical and healthcare companies, typically to advise on data-related issues. Jeanne Bossi Malafosse specialises in this area, and has extensive experience in health information systems and GDPR compliance. Recent highlights have included advising CNOP on complying with data protection regulations, during which Bossi Malafosse also took on the role of data privacy officer. Regulatory expert Thomas Roche is another key member of the group, with a practice focused on clinical research.

DLA Piper's Paris team works closely with the global life sciences practice, representing major international healthcare, pharmaceutical and biotech companies. The practice's focus on the digitalisation of healthcare continues to grow and the team recently launched a guide, in partnership with Option Finance, covering the legal issues related to digital transformation. Group head Sonia de Kondserovsky is particularly active in M&A transactions and licensing agreements. Thanks to the firm's full-service offering, the department can also call on experts in regulatory, commercial, IT and data protection matters. Franck Valentin was a new arrival in 2021.

With nine offices in Europe alone, Jones Day is a popular choice for global pharmaceutical and life sciences companies. On the corporate side, the department is particularly active in the pharmaceutical sector, while its capital markets team specialises in biotech and medtech issuances and offerings. The regulatory practice focuses on health and safety-related matters, including the implementation of EU regulations. In addition, Thomas Bouvet is a key name for patent-related work. Private equity specialist Renaud Bonnet and environmental litigator Françoise Labrousse jointly lead the department.

Norton Rose Fulbright advises pharmaceutical, medical device and biotech companies on every stage of the product life cycle, covering IP, regulatory and transactional work. Marion Roquette-Pfister, who specialises in public law and regulatory matters, represents clients in negotiations with public authorities relating to market access. Marta Giner Asins is the key contact for antitrust issues.

The core focus of the team at Squire Patton Boggs is product liability litigation, in which it typically defends pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers in civil and criminal trials. The department has been instructed on class actions, mass tort litigation and surgical malpractice claims. Practice co-head Carole Sportes specialises in product liability litigation and is experienced in handling complex multi-jurisdictional disputes. Her fellow co-head Valérie Ravit is focused on insurance and reinsurance matters in this area and is well versed in expert appraisal proceedings.

Led by Evelyne Friedel, the team at Taylor Wessing is retained by pharmaceutical and medical device companies which rely on its expertise in regulatory, compliance and distribution issues. Friedel, who is experienced in drafting R&D, licensing and commercial agreements, is a specialist in competition and commercial matters, advising clients on both EU and French law. The wider practice has experience in the full range of regulatory matters in the pharmaceutical sector, including market access, pricing and reimbursement issues.