Ropes & Gray has recruited Alison Dennis as a partner in its life sciences regulatory practice in London. Dennis joins from another international law firm, where she served as partner and international co-head of its life sciences and healthcare team. She is qualified in England and Wales and the Republic of Ireland.
Dennis brings more than 30 years of experience advising pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers in regulatory negotiations with competent authorities, notified bodies, and industry bodies across the UK and EU. She holds a Chambers UK 2026 Band 1 ranking in Life Sciences Regulatory and is one of ten lawyers recognized as a Global Elite Thought Leader in Regulatory Life Sciences by Who’s Who Legal in Europe. Her practice is notable for spanning both regulatory and transactional work — a combination the firm describes as rare in the market — covering due diligence for major corporate transactions and listings, IP licensing, and anti-bribery and industry code compliance. She has an unbroken record in contested regulatory proceedings, having persuaded regulators and notified bodies to reverse their decisions in every matter she has contested.
At Ropes & Gray, Dennis will work alongside Lincoln Tsang, head of the firm’s European life sciences practice, giving the London office two Band 1-ranked life sciences regulatory partners. The firm’s broader global life sciences regulatory and compliance group includes lawyers with experience at the FDA, in senior in-house roles, and in the legislative branch, and works across the firm’s corporate, intellectual property, antitrust, and litigation practices.
The hire arrives at a moment of significant regulatory flux in European life sciences. The MDR and IVDR transition deadlines for medical devices, the reform of EU pharmaceutical legislation agreed in late 2025, and the UK’s evolving post-Brexit regulatory framework are creating sustained demand for practitioners who can advise on both regulatory substance and transaction execution simultaneously. The appointment is part of a broader series of senior hires to Ropes & Gray’s European platform across London, Milan, and Paris in 2026.
KEY QUOTES:
“Life sciences companies want a lawyer who knows the regulator and can close the deal. Alison is that lawyer. When a product has faced a difficult regulatory path to market, she has engaged with the regulator to find a way through every time.”
Julie Jones, Chair, Ropes & Gray
“Alison is one of the most respected regulatory voices in European life sciences, and her instinct for where the science, the regulator and the deal meet is exactly what our clients in this market rely on. Her arrival is a statement of our ambitions for London, and a signal to clients of the strength we are building here.”
Greg Levine, Head of Life Sciences Regulatory and Compliance Practice Group, Ropes & Gray
“What drew me to Ropes & Gray is its combination of an incredible global platform and a genuinely collaborative culture, with outstanding colleagues in life sciences, M&A and across the firm to whom I can turn on any client issue. This team is the undisputed life sciences powerhouse, in London and around the world. I’m excited to join.”
Alison Dennis, Partner, Ropes & Gray
