Biography • Life Sciences - IP

Sally joined Bird & Bird in September 2006 as a partner in the intellectual property group, based in London.

After studying law at Manchester University and then the College of Law, she completed her training at Herbert Smith and qualified in 1988. After a period as a solicitor at Herbert Smith, Sally spent 11 years working in-house, firstly as senior legal adviser at ICI/Zeneca and latterly as legal director of Novartis UK, where she was responsible for all legal matters for the Novartis Group within the UK with particular responsibility for intellectual property protection, regulatory compliance and competition law compliance.

Sally has gained a wealth of experience, with an emphasis on working with businesses at the cutting edge of research and technology, whose intellectual property is therefore of prime importance. Her in-house experience has given her significant insight into the need to give pragmatic and commercial advice.

As a transactional IP lawyer, Sally has been involved in providing advice in relation to the protection and exploitation of a full range of intellectual property rights, from design rights to patents, trademarks, copyright and confidentiality across a range of jurisdictions, both in stand alone transactions and in conjunction with her corporate colleagues as part of an acquisition, divestment or investment activity. She also frequently advises clients on regulatory and 'freedom to operate' matters, and manages significant due diligence matters.

Sally is a regular speaker at conferences and seminars on a range of IP-related subjects, particularly in relation to regulatory, licensing and exploitation matters.

She is described as an 'expert' in regulatory and life sciences in the most recent Global Life Sciences Review. Sally's most recent book The EU Guide to Pharmaceutical Regulatory Law, a loose-leaf, 800 page publication which is updated annually, was published in July 2012.

Chambers UK 2013 noted that 'Sally Shorthose advises clients of varying sizes and stages of development in the sector. She offers them the benefit of her experience, both in-house and in private practice, of the challenges and issues facing them in the marketplace'.