MLL Legal fields a strong team of life sciences specialists and under the leadership of Nicola Benz and Simon Holzer, team is particularly noted for its expertise at the intersection of IP and regulatory law. The practice caters to pharmaceutical clients, innovative start-ups, medical devices companies and universities. Benz is an expert in technology and life sciences transactions, while Holzer is a key contact for IP litigation and regulatory issues. Ulrike Ciesla is well-versed in the technical side of pharmaceutical products and represents pharmaceutical companies before the Federal Patent Court. Louisa Galbraith is a further name to note for patent and trade mark disputes.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • 'MLL has one of the best patent litigation teams we have worked with in Switzerland. They are excellent.'
  • 'An extremely busy team that nevertheless manages to produce high-quality work at an impressive rate.'
  • 'In the pharma field their expertise goes beyond IP law and covers relevant expertise in the pharma regulatory field.'
  • 'Their expertise is covering IP law, as well as technical expertise, and they work very efficiently and effectively in an international or pan-European context, where coordination with law firms in other countries is required.'
  • 'The team is very effective and uniquely positioned in the life sciences area.'
  • ‘Their response time and network availability is of great importance and beneficial to us.’

Key clients

  • Alpex Pharma SA
  • AstraZeneca AB/AstraZeneca (Switzerland) AG
  • Authena
  • Bayer Pharma AG/Bayer Intellectual Property AG/Bayer Consumer Care AG/Bayer (Schweiz) AG
  • Baxter Ltd
  • Becton Dickinson Company
  • Biogen, Inc./Biogen International GmbH
  • Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG
  • Bristol Myers-Squibb
  • Carestream
  • Cellprotect Holding AG
  • cereneo Schweiz AG/cereneo International AG

Work highlights

Represented Takeda in a supplementary protection certificate dispute before the Swiss Federal Patent Court against STADA's Swiss subsidiary.
Advised Bristol-Myers Squibb on an ongoing basis, as part of a panel appointment, on a range of life sciences matters in Switzerland.
Represented Biogen in a series of preliminary injunction proceedings in Switzerland aimed at protecting its intellectual property rights related to Tecfidera.

Lawyers

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

Nicola Benz; Simon Holzer

Other key lawyers

Ulrike Ciesla; Louisa Galbraith