Freshfields Named Licensing & Collaboration Firm of the Year in Quadruple Win at 2026 Life Sciences Americas Awards

Freshfields has been named Licensing & Collaboration Firm of the Year at the 2026 Life Sciences Americas Awards, part of a four-award showing for the firm. The Life Sciences Americas Awards recognize the most distinguished North American practitioners for their legal work in life sciences over the past year.

Our U.S. Life Sciences practice and its lawyers were honored in the following categories:

• Licensing & Collaboration Firm of the Year
• Impact Deal of the Year for Merck’s $10bn acquisition of Verona Pharma
• Kristen Riemenschneider – Licensing & Collaboration Attorney of the Year
• Kristen Riemenschneider – Woman Practitioner of the Year         

The firm was also shortlisted for “M&A Firm of the Year” and “Cross Border Deal Firm of the Year.” Senior Associate Madeleine Tavcar was shortlisted for “U.S. Rising Star – Financial & Corporate.”