Patrick Duxbury
- Qualified, Solicitor of England & Wales (1993)
Areas of focus
Areas of focus
Patrick is the UK lead of Gowling WLG's Life Sciences team which combines in-depth experience, innovation and a full range of legal services to support clients worldwide. Many of the team have first-hand experience in the industry, including Patrick, who started out as a microbiologist and geneticist before re-qualifying as a lawyer and ultimately becoming a partner and sector leader.
He works with a wide variety of clients, across many jurisdictions, and draws on this deep sector insight to advise clients on a broad range of transactions and IP-related matters – providing finely-tuned expertise and wisdom in tandem with strategic and commercially-focused advice. Recent examples of deals on which Patrick has acted include: BioNTech on various deals, including with Pfizer and Biotheus; AstraZeneca on its transactions with Daiichi Sankyo; and Nxera Pharma on numerous license and collaboration deals.
Patrick is ranked as a 'Star Individual' for both 'Life Sciences: Transactional' and 'Intellectual Property' in Chambers UK 2025, and named among the 'world's top private practice experts in the field of patents' in the 2025 edition of IAM Global Leaders. Patrick is recognised as a "leader in the field of life sciences" and is "known for his deft handling of complex technology transfer, research and collaboration agreements" (Chambers UK). He is also named in the elite ‘Hall of Fame’ for Life Sciences and Healthcare in the Legal 500 UK 2025 rankings.
Both the wider team and Patrick have gained industry recognition through a number of high-profile awards. Patrick received 'Life Sciences - Transactional Lawyer of the Year 2022' at the prestigious, international, Who's Who Legal Awards 2022. He has since been named in Who's Who Legal: Thought Leaders Global Elite 2024 for 'Life Sciences – Transactional', recognising him among the top 2% of all Who's Who Legal-recognised legal practitioners around the world.
The Gowling WLG UK IP transaction team has a well-established reputation and is ranked in the top tier by Chambers UK 2025. The team won Life Sciences team of the year at the 2024 Legal Business Awards on the back of their work for AstraZeneca on its deal with Quell Therapeutics. It also received 'highly recommended' status at the Legal Business Awards in 2021 for its work on the AstraZeneca/University of Oxford COVID-19 vaccine deal. Patrick led on both of these transactions.