Life Sciences & Healthcare

Jones Walker’s Life Sciences Industry Team helps innovation-driven companies move from discovery to commercialization with practical legal guidance aligned with their business objectives. Our multidisciplinary team works with clients to navigate scientific and regulatory complexity, protect innovation, structure growth opportunities, commercialize products and technologies, and reduce legal and operational risk across the challenges that define today’s rapidly evolving life sciences landscape. We provide sophisticated counsel to organizations, both domestically and internationally, to organizations that are developing, testing, manufacturing, financing, commercializing, and deploying transformative healthcare technologies and therapies.

Clients benefit from an integrated team of attorneys spanning corporate, regulatory, healthcare, intellectual property, litigation, labor and employment, tax, government relations, privacy, and compliance disciplines. We support life sciences companies at every stage of development, from venture-backed startups and emerging growth companies to established public companies, research institutions, healthcare systems, and multinational organizations.

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Our team understands that success in life sciences requires more than scientific innovation. Companies must navigate FDA and state regulatory requirements, clinical trial compliance, commercial and data contracting complexities, intellectual property protection, reimbursement challenges, cybersecurity concerns, artificial intelligence (AI) governance, supply chain resilience, and complex transaction structuring and negotiation. Jones Walker provides integrated legal solutions that help clients anticipate those issues, make informed decisions, protect enterprise value, and move innovation to market with greater confidence while managing risk and accelerating growth. 

Industry Focus

The life sciences sector sits at the intersection of medicine, biology, technology, and healthcare delivery. It encompasses organizations engaged in the discovery, development, commercialization, and delivery of products and services designed to improve human health. The industry includes pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical devices, diagnostics, digital health technologies, clinical research organizations (CRO) research institutions, healthcare innovators, and the investors who support them. 

Jones Walker serves clients throughout the entire life sciences ecosystem, including companies and institutions developing therapies, devices, diagnostics, digital health platforms, clinical research programs, healthcare delivery models, and strategic investments.

 

The team combines deep subject matter expertise with practical problem-solving, ensuring that our legal issues are managed efficiently and effectively.

—Chambers Respondent Healthcare Client

Whether a client is seeking capital, preparing for clinical development, protecting a platform technology, negotiating a strategic collaboration, responding to regulatory scrutiny, or scaling commercial operations, our team focuses on the legal issues that matter most to the client’s next milestone.

Therapeutics and Biotechnology

• Pharmaceutical manufacturers
• Biotechnology companies
• Biologics developers
• Gene editing and cell therapy companies
• Precision medicine innovators
• Advanced therapy developers

Medical Devices and Diagnostics

• Medical device manufacturers
• Digital diagnostic companies
• In vitro diagnostics providers
• Remote patient monitoring platforms
• Biosensor and wearable technology companies
• Healthcare equipment manufacturers

Digital Health and Healthcare Technology

• Telehealth and virtual care providers
• Healthcare AI companies
• Healthcare software developers
• Data analytics and clinical technology platforms
• Health information technology companies

Clinical Research and Development

• Clinical trial sponsors
• Contract research organizations (CROs)
• Universities and academic medical centers
• Research institutions
• Institutional review boards and research networks

Healthcare Delivery and Strategic Partners

• Health systems and hospitals
• Physician organizations
• Venture capital and private equity firms
• Strategic investors
• Technology partners and vendors
• Commercialization and market access organizations
  

Our attorneys regularly advise clients throughout the drug and device diagnostic, digital health, and healthcare technology life cycles, from early-stage research and clinical development through commercialization, growth and liquidity transactions, compliance, and post-market operations.

They don't hand you off between practices. The same partner who structures the deal is on the call when the regulator picks up the phone.

—Life Sciences Client

Our industry team brings together attorneys across regulatory, compliance, enforcement, litigation, corporate, and transactional practices to support companies operating in this highly regulated and rapidly evolving industry. With experience advising clients throughout the product life cycle, we provide practical, multidisciplinary counsel to help life sciences companies address complex legal, regulatory, and business challenges in the US and internationally.

• Corporate
• Regulatory and Compliance
• Clinical Research and Product Development
• Finance and Private Equity
• Tax Structuring
• Intellectual Property and Innovation Protection
• Digital Health and Telemedicine
• Medical Devices
• Data Privacy, Cybersecurity, and Data Strategy
• Artificial Intelligence and AI-Enabled Products
• Mergers and Acquisitions
• Antitrust
• Litigation, Investigations, and Risk Management
• White Collar and Investigations
  
  

Industry Trends Driving Opportunities The life sciences sector continues to experience rapid transformation, fueled by scientific advancement, technology adoption, regulatory change, and significant investment activity. These developments are reshaping how companies develop, finance, protect, and commercialize innovation. Several key developments are especially important for clients evaluating growth opportunities, compliance obligations, and strategic risk.

Why Jones Walker

Jones Walker’s Life Sciences Industry Team combines deep regulatory knowledge, healthcare industry experience, and multidisciplinary legal capabilities to help clients advance innovation with confidence. The team includes nationally recognized healthcare leaders such as Nadia de la Houssaye, co-leader of the Life Sciences Industry Team and chair of its digital health and telemedicine practice, who advises life sciences companies, pharmaceutical organizations, research institutions, and healthcare innovators on complex regulatory, transactional, and strategic matters. With experience in virtually all areas of healthcare law and regulation, Nadia now focuses her practice on three key areas: the development, testing, and rollout of new drugs, medical devices, and other treatment modalities; telehealth and innovative care delivery platforms; and general corporate, transactional, and regulatory counsel. A recognized thought leader, she is ranked Band 1 in Healthcare in Chambers USA. Jason Loring, co-leader of the Life Sciences Industry Team and co-chair of the firm’s privacy, data strategy, and artificial intelligence team, advises pharmaceutical, clinical research, healthcare, and digital health organizations on AI governance, health and research data, privacy, cybersecurity, data strategy, and technology transactions. Previously, he served as chief privacy and security counsel, Americas, for EY, and deputy chief legal officer and global head of data protection for global consulting firm Vialto Partners. Jason helps clients address the regulatory, contractual, and operational issues arising from the use of regulated data, emerging technologies, and AI-enabled products and services. Adam Matasar is co-leader of the Life Sciences Industry Team, co-leader of the firm’s private equity team, and a partner in the Corporate Practice Group. He focuses on private equity, venture capital, M&A, joint ventures, corporate governance, and other transactional matters across a variety of industries, including life sciences and technologies, and helps clients navigate the entire business life cycle from startup to exit.

Clients also benefit from the firm’s experience working across healthcare, technology, finance, regulatory, and litigation matters, which allows the team to coordinate advice across disciplines rather than treating each issue in isolation.

Our attorneys understand the full life sciences life cycle — from early-stage research and clinical development to commercialization, growth transactions, and ongoing compliance. By aligning legal strategy with each client’s business objectives, we help life sciences companies bring groundbreaking innovations to market, manage risk, capitalize on emerging opportunities, and compete successfully in an increasingly complex and rapidly evolving industry.