25 August 2013 -- Edinburgh law firm Bonaccord Ecosse Ltd has won the UK Life Science Law Firm of the Year Award in both the Acquisition International M&A awards and the ACQ Global Awards.
The firm’s principal and founder Patricia Barclay is a highly experienced life sciences lawyer with over 20 years experience working in the highest levels of the pharmaceutical industry including senior and board level positions at Vernalis plc, The Ferring Group, Solvay Pharmaceuticals and Pfizer Inc.
Patricia commented: “This was a fantastic tribute from two of the best known publications in the deal-making and investor community. These accolades are particularly welcome as neither were solicited and so came as a delightful surprise. I am very grateful to all those who nominated us, voted for us or who have offered supportive testimony to the magazines’ researchers.”
She added: “It is very gratifying to see the hard work that myself and my team put into client work rewarded in this way. In the last few weeks we have closed deals for Scots companies involving domestic, European and Middle Eastern investors and a major management buyout in England involving US and Japanese parties as well as Canadian and European investors. Increasingly where an investor sees an attractive opportunity they are less and less likely to be troubled by national barriers and we are seeing even private investors who have traditionally been more associated with domestic investments taking a position in foreign companies. ”
Bonaccord specialises in advising medical device, biotech and pharmaceutical companies on all aspects of law from negotiating complex licensing and cooperation agreements to mergers and acquisitions and fund raising as well as helping more generally to commercialise scientific innovation. The firm has particular expertise in helping young life sciences companies successfully bring products to market.
For further information please visit www.bonaccord.eu or call +44(0)131 202 6527.
Bonaccord was founded by Patricia Barclay in 2007. After studying law at Edinburgh and Oxford Universities and qualifying as a lawyer in Scotland Patricia embarked on a career primarily in life sciences, which has taken her all over the world. She held a number of senior positions with Pfizer before becoming General Counsel of Vernalis, a position she subsequently held at the privately held multinational Ferring Group and then at Solvay Pharmaceuticals. She has accordingly been involved in decision-making at the highest level in very different companies. She has extensive experience in the negotiation of complex international licensing and cooperation agreements, mergers and acquisitions, the management of intellectual property, public affairs and the establishment and development of internal services and departments. She has hands on experience of the pharmaceutical, animal health, medical device, chemical, food science and consumer goods sectors.
She is one of only a handful of British lawyers to have been honoured with a Fellowship of the American Bar Association.
Patricia is also an accredited mediator. She is a member of the Association for Conflict Resolution, Mediators Beyond Borders and of the WIPO mediation panel. She has served as chair of the International Bar Association mediation techniques committee for whom she developed a book of essays. She is listed in Who’s Who of International Commercial Mediation.
While based in Scotland the award-winning firm supports clients all over the world. Bonaccord also provides consultancy services to a number of law firms in life science and related areas and to universities in technology transfer. Additionally, Patricia has developed a number of courses, primarily in intellectual property, entrepreneurship and negotiation skills at both practical and academic levels that she teaches regularly for academic and professional organisations. Currently courses teaching business skills to science students are proving particularly popular. She is an active business mentor.
She has published on a variety of topics most recently contributing a chapter to Graham Richards’ “University Intellectual Property: a source of finance and impact”.
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