Life sciences

Life sciences claims can be large and are technical: trials, formulation, assays, regulatory work, with costs spread between staff, subcontractors and collaborators, and projects that run across several accounting periods. The adviser's technical depth in your field matters, and so does their handling of subcontracted and grant-funded work; the country pages link to the official sources. On a large claim the fee ceiling matters, and so does review support, because a technical review of a life sciences claim can be long.

• What qualifications does the team have?, with a technical reviewer who has worked in your field
• Who will do the technical work?, and who will talk to your scientists
• Do you use subcontractors?, and how is confidential technical information protected
• Is review support included?, and for how long after filing
• How are your fees calculated?, with any cap

Uncapped success fees on a large claim. Review support costs extra with no budget, on a claim where a review would be long. No one speaks to your engineers, or in this sector your scientists. The fair versions exist: a claim that will stay small, a priced support clause you chose knowingly, a scientific lead who wrote the descriptions. The green flag named people with qualifications you can check is the one to look for first.

Fixed fees and capped fees suit a large claim with a known scope. Hybrid fees keep part of the fee tied to the outcome where the claim is uncertain. Hourly fees with a budget suit specific technical work. A contingent success fee can still suit an early stage company before revenue, where cash is the constraint; on the shared example it is $50,000 on a $250,000 claim and nothing if the claim fails. Illustrative figures. The preparing for adviser meetings guide covers bringing your scientific lead to the first meeting.