The current healthcare and life sciences sector offers opportunities for innovative companies to introduce new products and gain market share.
We can help you to focus on strategic and commercial matters whilst limiting potential liabilities. Our Life Sciences team combines legal expertise, commercial insight and scientific understanding to provide you with a solutions-focused service. We will work alongside you advising on any issues from transfer agreements to complex and technical patent litigation.
Our clients include cutting-edge businesses engaged in research, manufacturing, sales and distribution. We also work with colleges and universities, business incubators, research organisations, clinical trial providers, entrepreneurs and successful inventors.
Real Estate Life Sciences
The Life Sciences industry is growing, with increasing investment triggering a higher demand for Real Estate across the UK.
Our Life Sciences Real Estate team will work alongside your business to help you assess both the opportunities and the risks you may face. We have worked with Life Sciences Real Estate Developers and Investors for over a decade and we understand the particular nuances of this asset class.
We support you through the entire asset life cycle including:
- Due diligence on potential investment opportunities, including tax and structuring advice
- Site assembly and acquisition, including by way of agreements conditional on planning
- Strategic advice on the planning process and s106 agreements
- Development agreements and pre-lets
- Procurement and construction documents
- Ongoing management of the portfolio, including lettings, re-gears, variations, licence applications and advice on end of tenancy issues
- Funding, including forward funding and other development finance and sale
- Led by Commercial Real Estate Partner Louise Ward and supported by a large multi-disciplinary team, including planning, construction, rights of light, real estate disputes and tax, our experience means that we are well placed to advise both existing operators and new entrants into this booming sector.
Led by Commercial Real Estate Partner Louise Ward and supported by a large multi-disciplinary team, including planning, construction, rights of light, real estate disputes and tax, our experience means that we are well placed to advise both existing operators and new entrants into this booming sector.
Our Recent Experience
BioMed Realty
BioMed Realty has been a client of Charles Russell Speechlys since they entered the UK market in 2012. We advised on the initial acquisition of Granta Park. Since then, we have acted on all letting, development and management matters at the Park, including the development of new R&D facilities for both Illumina Inc and Gilead Sciences.
The Pirbright Institute
We advise the world-leading research centre on their 12 year, £500 million billion redevelopment programme of their Surrey campus, establishing them as the foremost state-of-the-art institute in the world for research on some of the most devastating viruses of farmed animals. Our advice and services include procurement strategy and drafting, and negotiation of all the construction documentation.
IQVIA
We advise IQVIA on all aspects of its real estate, construction and planning requirements ranging from its HQ premises to corporate acquisitions. We recently advised on the simultaneous disposal of its 120,000 sq. ft premises at Green Park, Reading to Virgin Media and its new lease at M&G’s Forbury Place development in Reading.
BioMed @ Babraham
We recently advised BioMed on the conditional acquisition by way of a 99 year lease of an 8-acre site at the Babraham Institute and redevelopment into life sciences office and laboratory space - alongside the existing Babraham Campus. We acted on property, planning and construction matters for this leading partnership. The site is now fully let to tenants including RxCelerate and Mission Therapeutics.

Get in touch with one of our specialists
If you would like more information or to request a call back to discuss your real estate life sciences needs please fill in your details.
Meet the team
- Call Megan +44 (0) 207 438 2235
- Email Megan
- London office
- Call Louise +44 (0)20 7427 6693
- Email Louise
- London office
- Call Caroline +44 (0)20 7203 5381
- Email Caroline
- London office
Our thinking
Louise Ward
What can UK investors interested in Life Sciences learn from their more experienced, including US, counterparts?
The recent tie-up between Canary Wharf and Kadans demonstrates the enthusiasm to access the lucrative UK life sciences market.
Lydia O'Hagan
What could the new Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill mean for the Research and Development Sector?
Louise Ward
Overseas investors in Life Sciences set to be caught by new beneficial ownership reporting regime
Rose Carey
Could the UK’s Life Sciences Vision be restricted by its Immigration Policy?
We explore some of the visa options that may be open to businesses in the sector and their relative pros and cons.
Fiona Edmond
Mixed-use development and Sustainability is at the heart of Life Sciences Development
Louise Ward
Louise Ward writes for EG on what UK investors can gain from an overseas life sciences partner
What UK investors can gain from an overseas life sciences partner
Fiona Edmond
A Material Cost to the Progress of Life Sciences Projects?
Louise Ward
The only way is UP for London Life Sciences
Louise Ward
Louise Ward quoted by Estates Gazette on the fading support for the Ox-Cam Arc
The government is reported to be rowing back on driving investment to the region, which has been a hotbed of life sciences expertise.
Mark Howard
Listing Rules changes are in...exciting times for founders and fast-growing companies
Chris Carlisle
Trailblazing: how London became the highest ranked European city for private capital property investment
Simon Green
AHIC 2021
It was another exciting year at the Arabian & African Hotel Investment Conference (AHIC) .
Thibaut Caharel
Charles Russell Speechlys advises Apposite Capital on acquisition of i2a Diagnostics
i2a is a leading provider of laboratory instruments, software and reagents for the clinical microbiology market in France.
Louise Ward
Levelling Up Life Sciences?
Daniel Moore
Case Study: One Blackfriars Limited
An informative and positive judgment for administrators selling high-value property in distressed and complex scenarios.
Caroline Young
Charles Russell Speechlys advises Emergex Vaccines on $11m fundraising
Emergex is a UK-based biotechnology company and pioneers of developing synthetic ‘set point’ vaccines .
Michael Lingens
Charles Russell Speechlys advises CareTech on the acquisition of Smartbox
Smartbox is a market-leading creator of software and hardware that helps disabled people without speech to live more independently.
Hamish Perry
Charles Russell Speechlys advises Wimbledon NeuroCare and Ascot Rehabilitation on the acquisition of a healthcare diagnostic centre
Both Ascot Rehab and Wimbledon NeuroCare provide high quality rehabilitation services for people with neurological conditions.
Louise Ward
The Life Sciences sector continues to thrive
Caroline Young
Charles Russell Speechlys advises Apposite Capital on their investment into Mirada Medical
Mirada is a leading AI software developer for streamlining cancer treatment planning applications.