MFA Legal expands Technology practice with the appointment of Patrícia Paias

MFA Legal & Tech has appointed Patrícia Paias as partner, reinforcing its Technology practice. She will lead the firm’s Life Sciences and IP Litigation practice as part of its strategy to strengthen its positioning in technology, innovation and sectoral regulation.

According to Managing Partner Samuel Fernandes de Almeida, “her arrival elevates our value proposition to a new level of specialisation.” He added: “By integrating Patrícia into the structure we have designed together with Jorge Silva Martins, we are developing an end-to-end offering in technology, pharma, regulatory and even competition law, with a unique and differentiated approach in the market, capable of anticipating trends and ensuring legal certainty for our clients’ assets, transactions and disputes.”

Patrícia Paias brings more than 20 years of experience and an international career that includes leadership roles in multinational pharmaceutical companies. Before joining MFA Legal & Tech, she worked in-house as Lead IP Litigation Counsel at Sandoz International GmbH in Munich and as Director International IP at Gilead Sciences Inc. in Dublin, and collaborated with the European Patent Office. In Portugal, she developed her practice at law firms including VdA and DLA Piper, focusing on patent and regulatory litigation and areas such as supplementary protection certificates (SPCs), biosimilars and orphan drugs. She joins the firm from Antas da Cunha Ecija.

Jorge Silva Martins, partner in the Technology, Innovation and Regulatory practice stated:

“Patrícia’s integration enables us to combine the scientific rigour of Life Sciences and patent litigation with the firm’s already strong digital and regulatory expertise, creating strategic value in ecosystems where healthcare, biotechnology and digital solutions are now inseparable.”