Marie Manley

Partner, Head of the UK Life Sciences at Sidley Austin LLP, UK

MARIA ISABEL (“MARIE”) MANLEY leads Sidley’s Life Sciences team in London and is a distinguished thought leader and adviser on EU and UK regulatory law. She represents development-stage, specialty and established global life sciences companies in a broad spectrum of matters, both contentious and non-contentious, including bet-the-company regulatory matters, investigations and court challenges. Marie advises clients in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical devices, chemicals, cosmetics and food sectors in proceedings before both national and European courts and the regulatory agencies in the UK and across Europe. She has particular experience on issues arising during the life cycle of medicinal products, including IP, advertising, product liability and competition.

Marie has represented a number of the world’s leading pharmaceutical and life sciences companies in litigation before the EU and English Courts, as well as before the regulatory authorities, including the European Commission, the European and UK medicines authorities (EMA and MHRA), the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence and the Department of Health. She has extensive experience in coordinating multi-jurisdictional litigation throughout the EU/EEA and overseas.

Marie is currently representing:

• Astellas Pharma before the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in relation to the interpretation of the Synthon case (C-557/16).
• Les Laboratoires Servier before the EU General Court against a European Commission decision alleging a breach of competition rules (T-691/14).
• Les Laboratoires Servier in UK parallel proceedings brought by the health authorities in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland seeking damages for an alleged over-spend of medicine as a result of an alleged breach of competition rules.

Marie is recognized as a leader in her field, including a Band 1 ranking in Chambers UK 2020 and Chambers Europe 2019 for Life Sciences: Regulatory, as well as recommendations in Who’s Who Legal and Best Lawyers. Most recently, she has been listed in Best Lawyers 2020 for Life Sciences Law. Marie was featured in the LMG “UK Life Science Stars” (2015), Super Lawyers “London Top 100” and “London Top 50 Women” (2015/2013), and The Lawyer “Hot 100” list (2012). Who’s Who Legal 2018 ranked her as one of the Top 5 “Thought Leaders” in Europe for Life Sciences. Marie has also been named a “Thought Leader - Global Elite” for Life Sciences in Who’s Who Legal: Thought Leaders 2019. More recently, Marie won the LMG Women in Business Law Award for “Best in Life Sciences.” Other recent praise for her client service and legal acumen includes:

•  ‘Marie Isabel Manley is “very knowledgeable on the sector and fights hard for her clients,” a source reports. She is highly respected across the market for her magisterial knowledge of European pharmacovigilance, product compliance and agency investigations.’ (Chambers UK 2020)
• “Maria Manley … is a ‘standout lawyer in the regulatory space’ who is internationally renowned in the area. One impressed source notes: ‘She is a real leader in the life sciences sector.’’” (Who’s Who Legal 2018) 
• “Maria Manley is a much-admired regulatory expert concerned primarily with contentious matters associated with European market authorisation processes. Interviewees say: ‘She is a superb practitioner.’” (Chambers UK 2018)
• “Market sources report that the London-based Maria Isabel Manley … is ‘brilliant on a European level.’” (Chambers Europe 2018)
• “Interviewees say that London-based Maria Isabel Manley is ‘clearly a regulatory guru and an expert in the field. She really prepares well and knows her stuff.’ She attracts significant praise for her work on ECJ litigation testing the extent of patent protection afforded to orphan drugs or the duration of regulatory data protection.” (Chambers Europe 2017)
• “The ‘very creative and resourceful’ Maria Isabel Manley is particularly distinguished for her “exceptional knowledge of the European regulatory framework.” (Chambers UK 2017)
• “Clients praise her ‘sharp mind’ and describe her as ‘a powerhouse in the European regulatory field’.” (Chambers UK 2016)
• “Maria Isabel Manley is a ‘truly outstanding regulatory lawyer.’ She is recognised as ‘insightful’, ‘user-friendly’ and ‘technically proficient’ by pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies operating in the UK and Europe.” (Who’s Who Legal 2015)

Prior to joining Sidley in 2018, Marie was a partner and head of the regulatory department at a major UK law firm. She has previously worked in Switzerland, New York and Brussels.

She is fluent in English, French and Spanish and has a working knowledge of German, Italian and Catalan.