Patricia Barclay

Patricia Barclay, life science lawyer - founder of Bonaccord

Our clients benefit from Patricia's extensive network and pragmatic, commercially aware counsel - the product of extensive board level experience and many years working in multicultural environments with a variety of companies.

Patricia has held senior positions in the pharmaceutical industry around the world for nearly 20 years.

After studying law at Edinburgh and Oxford universities, she qualified as a lawyer in Scotland and went on to work for a variety of multinational life science/chemical companies.

As General Counsel of Vernalis plc, The Ferring Group and Solvay Pharmaceuticals, as well as Senior Corporate Counsel for Pfizer Inc, she’s been involved in decision making at the highest levels.

During her career Patricia has been deeply involved in sectors such as:

• Pharmaceutical
• Biotech
• Medical device
• Cosmetic
• Animal health
• Food science
• Speciality chemical

She’s worked in these sectors on a wide variety of different sorts of issues and contracts globally including:

• Negotiating complex licensing and cooperation agreements
• Mergers and acquisitions
• Fundraising
• Intellectual property management
• Public affairs
• Establishing and developing internal services and departments

She’s also sat on industry committees and represented industry interests to law makers and taken part in policy reviews. She is Chair of the International Bar Association (IBA) healthcare and life science committee.

American Bar Association

In 2010 Patricia became the first Scottish solicitor to be awarded a fellowship from the American Bar Association. This honour recognises service excellence and technical ability, and she is currently one of only a handful of lawyers in the UK to be so honoured.

Commercial mediation services

Patricia’s corporate experience means she understands the stresses and strains within business which makes her an effective commercial mediator. She is recognised as such by her peers and has won a number of awards including UK Commercial Mediator of the Year

• Trained with the International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution in New York, Pepperdine University of California and Core in Scotland.
• Former chair of the International Bar Association (IBA) Mediation Techniques Committee. Edited and co-authored a book on the subject for the Association.
• Member of the Association for Conflict Resolution
• Member of Mediators Beyond Borders
• Member of World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) mediation panel

Provides legal and business skills training

Patricia designs and teaches in-house training programmes in legal and business skills for commercial clients, professional bodies and academic organisations – undergraduates, postgraduates and staff.

Presenting and speaking

She’s also presented on various legal, life sciences and business topics around the world and is a popular lecturer to professional and academic audiences.