Key Takeaways from the Summit for Women Leaders in Life Sciences Law
August 2025
Key Takeaways from the Summit for Women Leaders in Life Sciences Law
Staying ahead in life sciences legal hiring takes more than just understanding the market - it requires proximity to real-time industry conversations and the ability to turn insight into action. That’s exactly what Larson Maddox brought to the 12th Annual Summit for Women Leaders in Life Sciences Law, hosted by the American Conference Institute in Boston, MA.
Representing our team, Jean Cunningham, Attorney and Vice President of Life Sciences Legal Recruitment, and Julia D'Innocenzo, Senior Vice President of Legal & Regulatory Recruitment, spent two days connecting with over 50 legal professionals across biotech, pharma, and healthcare. As specialists within the life sciences & healthcare legal industry, they deliver specialized, strategic support to employers navigating complex hiring needs and to candidates exploring their next move in a highly regulated sector.
Meeting our candidates and clients in person was the highlight of this event. The life sciences legal community is close-knit, and this summit is where those relationships deepen.
What legal hiring teams should know right now
Through dozens of conversations with in-house counsel, legal leaders, and regulatory professionals, our team gained clear visibility into what’s shaping hiring decisions and career moves in the second half of 2025:
With more legal professionals exploring new opportunities than roles available, employers are in a stronger position - but only if they’re moving efficiently and setting clear expectations from the outset. Speed and clarity remain essential.
While many companies are requiring a return to office two or three days per week, candidates - particularly those who relocated post-COVID - are seeking what they view as true remote flexibility. This disconnect is slowing down hiring and creating friction unless addressed transparently from the start.
Companies are actively seeking commercial counsels with market access experience and IP counsels who understand the regulatory complexity of the life sciences space. These profiles are competitive and move quickly.
How Larson Maddox supports legal careers
One of the highlights of the summit was seeing Jean featured on the panel “The Art of Failing Forward”, where she spoke alongside other accomplished legal professionals about navigating career setbacks, job transitions, and the realities of working in a volatile industry.
Drawing from her own experience - including a successful career pivot - Jean offered practical advice for candidates facing employment gaps, layoffs, or short stints. She emphasized how recruiters can play a consultative role in helping professionals position their experience, especially in sectors like life sciences where restructures, failed trials, or FDA delays can disrupt even the most qualified careers.
We consult candidates on how to pitch their experience and navigate tough conversations. In life sciences, volatility is common. We help professionals own their story and move forward with clarity and confidence.
Her perspective resonated deeply with attendees who had experienced M&A fallout, failed clinical trials, or short tenures; all of which are part of the sector's normal ebb and flow. The feedback from that session reaffirmed our commitment to acting not only as recruiters, but as career advisors.
Why it matters, and how we can help
Whether you’re a hiring manager preparing to add strategic headcount, or a legal professional navigating a career transition, Larson Maddox offers more than search - we offer guidance grounded in real market insight.
By being part of the conversations that shape the industry, our team is uniquely positioned to consult on both hiring strategy and career trajectory. This summit is one of many ways we stay aligned with the market, with our clients, and with the professionals we represent.
About Larson Maddox
The Larson Maddox team specializes in the regulatory and legal market, securing senior-level positions across specialist industry verticals including: financial services, life sciences, tech, media & telecoms, energy, construction & infrastructure, and manufacturing & consumer goods.
With a presence across New York, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Charlotte, Tampa, and Los Angeles, we can help businesses solve their regulatory and legal challenges. As a thought-leader in this space, we are having daily discussions with our clients on the emerging markets and talent trends, so they can secure the best talent and stay ahead of any regulatory and legal issues.
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