Marie Manley

Partner and Head of the Life Sciences Practice at Sidley

Speaker

Marie Manley leads Sidley’s Life Sciences team in London and is a distinguished thought leader and adviser on EU and UK regulatory law, with more than 20 years of experience. She advises global life sciences companies on a broad spectrum of matters — both contentious and non-contentious — including high-stakes regulatory issues, investigations, and court challenges. Marie has particular expertise in matters arising throughout the life cycle of medicinal products, encompassing IP regulatory rights, market access, advertising, product liability, and competition law. She is currently representing a leading pharmaceutical company before the English courts, including the Supreme Court, in a landmark case recognised in The Lawyer’s Top 20 Cases for 2021 and 2022. The case was awarded “Impact Case of the Year” at the LMG Life Sciences Awards in both 2022 and 2025, as well as “UK Impact Case of the Year” at the 2022 Managing IP Awards. Marie has also successfully represented pharmaceutical companies before the EMA in relation to orphan drug status and paediatric issues, including paediatric extensions. Marie has acted in a number of landmark cases before the EU and English courts and has represented the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies before regulatory authorities, including the European Commission, EMA, MHRA, NICE, and the UK Department of Health. She has extensive experience coordinating multi-jurisdictional litigation across the EU/EEA and beyond.

In addition to her practice, Marie has lectured on EU pharmaceutical law and the scope of IP regulatory rights at ESADE in Madrid. She is the co-author and co-editor of Navigating European Pharmaceutical Law (Oxford University Press, 2015). Her expertise is widely recognised in leading legal directories. Marie is ranked Band 1 by Chambers UK and Chambers Europe for Life Sciences: Regulatory, and is listed as a “Leading Individual” for Life Sciences and Healthcare by The Legal 500 UK 2023. She has also received numerous industry accolades, including the 2019 LMG “Women in Business Law Award” for “Best in Life Sciences” and “Lawyer of the Year” in Life Sciences Law by Best Lawyers in 2021.