DLA Piper appoints former EMA Head of Legal Department Stefano Marino

• Stefano Marino will join the global firm as Senior consultant on 1 October 2024
• Appointment provides a major boost to DLA Piper’s strategy of establishing a leading life sciences regulatory practice in the EU and globally

DLA Piper has appointed Stefano Marino, former Head of Legal Department at the European Medicines Agency (EMA), as a senior consultant.

Stefano brings with him an intimate knowledge of EU pharmaceutical law and familiarity of Union practice and procedures gained over his 25 years with industry and nearly 11 years with the Agency, providing great value to the firm’s global Life Sciences practice and the clients it serves.

Stefano’s responsibilities at the EMA included providing legal advice to the Agency’s management, overseeing the Legal Department and providing support to core business colleagues on pharmaceutical law and regulatory matters, supervising the Agency’s litigation strategy at the Court of Justice of the EU, and regularly interacting with other Agencies’ legal experts on personal data protection, insurance matters and artificial intelligence.

Prior to joining EMA, Stefano held the position of General Counsel of the Menarini Group for 8 years, then GC at Sigma-Tau (now Alfasigma) for 15 years, in addition to nearly two more years in the petrochemical sector. He also chaired EFPIA’s Trademark Group for eight years and was a member of that association’s Intellectual Property Policy Committee for 15 years. As a result, he has a very high and established profile in the European and international Life Sciences sector.

Stefano’s appointment is a continuation of DLA Piper’s strategy to establish a world-leading EU Life Sciences regulatory practice headed out of the firm’s Brussels office, with on-the-ground presence in 22 EU/EEA member states plus the UK. This follows the strategic move of Co-Chair of DLA Piper’s global Life Sciences practice, Marco de Morpurgo, to split his time between the firm’s Brussels office and the Rome office, where he was previously based, from the start of last year.

In parallel, DLA Piper has made significant investments into its US Life Sciences practice. This includes the recent hire of Lisa LeCointe-Cephas as chair of the firm’s US Life Sciences sector, along with Vernessa Pollard and former FDA counsel, Perham Gorji, to the firm’s US FDA practice. Combined, DLA Piper has a truly global and integrated trans-Atlantic Life Sciences regulatory practice that presents a compelling offering to its clients.

Marco de Morpurgo, Co-Chair of DLA Piper’s global Life Sciences practice, commented: “The knowledge, prestige and recognition that Stefano possesses in the European and international Life Sciences market will undoubtedly bring great weight to our ability to solve complex regulatory challenges for our clients, not only corporates but also industry associations and regulatory authorities as they seek counsel on the changing regulatory framework governing medicinal products in the EU. As part of our ambition to establish a leading Life Sciences regulatory practice in the EU and globally, his appointment provides a major boost.”

DLA Piper acknowledges that Stefano Marino, as a former member of EMA’s senior management, is subject to certain restrictions on the intended occupational activity for a two-year period following the end of his employment at EMA. DLA Piper will collaborate with EMA to ensure that those restrictions are fully observed in the interest of transparency.