The practice at Baker McKenzie is well placed to handle regulatory, product registration, public procurement, healthcare compliance, IP and commercial matters as they pertain to the life science space. Following the July 2025 departure of Montserrat Llopart, leadership is shared between Madrid-based Cecilia Pastor and Barcelona-based Elisabet Cots. Pastor is highly specialised in M&A in the pharma space, as well as contractual matters and corporate restructurings. Cots, for her part, draws on notable experience in product regulation, environmental and regulatory life sciences mandates. Ester Navas is an additional key contact for regulatory, compliance, advertising, price discounting and contracting matters in the healthcare sector.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Accolades
Client satisfaction: Billing & efficiency
Client satisfaction: Sector knowledge
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- ‘Cecilia Pastor - strong technical and coordination skills and a comprehensive vision for large transactions.’
- ‘Elisabet Cots is an excellent professional, always willing to collaborate and answer questions. She responds to requests quickly and makes complex concepts understandable.’
- 'My experience with the partners (especially Ester Navas) is that they are very present, closely and carefully monitoring matters, which inspires confidence and commitment. The team's constant availability facilitates smooth and effective collaboration.'
- 'In particular, Ester Navas stands out. Her demeanour is always focused, calm, and decisive, even in delicate or high-pressure situations. Her most valuable asset is her professional honesty: she doesn't say what you want to hear, but rather what you truly need to know to make informed decisions. This transparency, combined with her empathy and clarity, fosters absolute trust.'
- ‘The team was agile, fast, and precise, and they adapted to the project's timeline and budget. I found it easy to work with the team, and the negotiation with the other party was successful.'
- ‘Baker McKenzie's healthcare practice is characterised by a high level of technical and legal expertise, supported by a multidisciplinary team that combines experience in regulation, taxation, competition, technology, and privacy. This breadth allows them to approach matters from a holistic perspective, always with a practical mindset focused on the real needs of businesses.'
Key clients
- Abbott
- Alcon
- Almirall
- Asabys Partners
- Asphalion
- Astellas
- Bacthera AG
- Baucsh and Lomb
- Baxter
- Becton-Dickinson
- Beigene
- Boehringer Ingelheim
Work highlights
Assisting Becton Dickinson with its acquisition of Edwards Lifesciences' Critical Care product group, which will be renamed as BD Advanced Patient Monitoring.
Assisted Baxter with the carve out of its renal care and acute therapies business into a separate company in Spain (now known as Vantive) and assisted with the sale to Carlyle.
Advised Ferrer Internacional on licensing, disinvestment, regulatory compliance and litigation, focusing on medicinal products for rare diseases.
Lawyers
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Practice head
Cecilia Pastor; Elisabet Cot
Other key lawyers
Ester Navas; Carlos Martín