Thorntons is one of Scotland’s largest and most respected independent law firms and has earned a strong reputation for delivering high quality, practical advice together with exceptional client care to the education, biotech and life sciences sectors in Tayside and beyond.
Thorntons provides a comprehensive range of legal and property services to individuals and businesses across Scotland, covering over 13 core practice areas. With a network of 14 offices across Scotland, and our headquarters remaining in Dundee, our legal teams are on hand with practical and straightforward advice: in person, online or by phone.
As one of Scotland’s largest full-service legal firms, Thorntons offer all the legal advice you need. With a large team of solicitors and accredited specialists Thorntons’ delivers expert advice from Intellectual Property and Trade Marks to Corporate, Employment Law and Commercial Real Estate.
As a firm offering a full suite of legal services, we focus on delivering excellent service to all our clients by recognising what each client needs and giving practical, commercially minded advice.
Our client profile embraces commercial and industrial companies, institutions, public authorities, further and higher educational institutions, health boards, university commercialisation companies, bio-tech and life science companies, software and games developers and private individuals - across the UK and into Europe and beyond. Our policy is to continue to deliver a personalised bespoke service to each of our clients.
We have a dedicated focus on the biotech and life sciences sector, bringing together specialist commercial lawyers and Law Society of Scotland accredited experts to support clients throughout the full business lifecycle. We advise on intellectual property identification, protection and commercialisation; company structuring and growth; research and collaboration agreements; employment matters; data protection requirements; regulatory considerations; and property needs as operations scale.
Our teams combine technical expertise with a responsive, solutionsdriven approach, ensuring life sciences businesses receive clear, commercially relevant advice that supports innovation, investment and longterm growth.
We can support you with all your legal needs, even when the next steps are not yet clear, including assistance with:
- Confidentiality undertakings for new products and joint ventures
- Email and online issues, including defamation and ecommerce
- Employee confidentiality obligations
- Noncompete undertakings and restrictive covenants, including enforcement
- Research and development agreements
- Branding protection and trade mark applications
- Patent licence agreements
- Software development agreements for bespoke projects
- Copyright and software licensing agreements
- Infringement proceedings, both enforcement and defence
- Technology transfer agreements
- Intellectual property rights audits
- Trade mark licence agreements
- Design rights applications
- Licensing agency advice
- Collaboration and commercialisation agreements
- Data protection considerations and related agreements
- Employment matters, including contracts, HR policies, TUPE, redundancy, disciplinary and grievance issues
- Partnership agreements
- Joint venture arrangements
- Property transactions, including purchasing and leasing
- Dispute resolution, including contractual disputes
Together, this comprehensive capability ensures that lifesciences businesses receive informed, practical and commercially relevant support at every stage of development.
With a varied client base, and with specialists across Thorntons, including intellectual property, data protection, commercial real estate, employment, dispute resolution and corporate matters, Thorntons have the expertise to be able to assist you, at whatever stage you are at in your business. We are focussed on providing tailored advice suitable to your needs whilst keeping in mind your commercial considerations.