The Legal 500

United Kingdom > London > TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Patent and trade mark attorneys: The Regions

Editorial sections

Other

All countries

Barker Brettell LLP is based in Birmingham and Southampton, with the latter office now home to a three-partner team. Patent clients include Raytheon, Imperial College and RIM. Priscilla Makovski heads the physical sciences group, while Lucy Trueman leads on life sciences and chemistry work. Sarah Lait heads the trade mark group, with clients including Seven Trent, Britvic Soft Drinks and National Express. The team recently carried out enforcement work across Europe for Fender Musical Instruments. Catherine Wiseman is ‘highly motivated and service oriented’.

Boult Wade Tennant has sizeable teams in Cambridge and Reading, as well as a presence in Oxford. The hi-tech and electrical group handles opposition and prosecution work, for clients such as LG Electronics, Vodafone, Yahoo! and the Boeing Company. The biotech and life sciences team acts for a number of start-up companies. Other clients include Beckman Coulter and Dow Chemical Company. In Cambridge, senior partner Bruce Alexander retired, while software specialist Jason Pelly in the Reading office became a partner.

D Young & Co LLP’s patents team has strength in life sciences. Charles Harding acted for Genencor in a successful revocation of a Novozymes patent, and Aylsa Williams assisted Plant Bioscience in the high-profile ‘broccoli’ case. In trade marks, the ‘very knowledgeable, easy-to-work-with’ Jeremy Pennant acted for Burger King and Pepsi in contentious matters. Angela Thornton-Jackson has ‘excellent communication and organisational skills’, and acts for a range of blue-chip clients, including some from Japan. Patent attorney Darren Lewis was promoted to the partnership.

Dehns has a presence in Brighton and Oxford, with particular strength in depth on the patents side. Philip Webber and Deborah Owen are ‘highly knowledgeable’ in biotech matters. In the hi-tech and engineering group, Adrian Samuels is ‘an excellent drafter of patents and claims’. Christopher Davies recently represented Virgin Atlantic Airways in an EPO appeal. The trade marks team is led from Brighton, and successfully represented Disney in relation to an application by a local business.

Potter Clarkson LLP is highly praised for its ‘superb expertise and knowledge’, and is ‘very skilled, both scientifically and in IP’. The Nottingham-based firm is rated for its specialist biotech and chemicals expertise. ‘One of the best in the field’, Richard Basset is well regarded for his advocacy experience, being ‘a top negotiator and excellent with oral hearings’. John Miles is ‘excellent on SPCs’. Newly promoted partner Caroline Marshall is also recommended. Highlights included defending AstraZeneca against EPO oppositions, and patent prosecution work for Nokia. The trade mark group, led by Sanjay Kapur and John Peacock, provides ‘pragmatic advice’. Clients include Bupa and Vision Express.

Urquhart-Dykes & Lord LLP has offices in Cardiff, Milton Keynes, Newcastle and Peterborough as well as Leeds, which is its biggest regional base. The ‘client-friendly’ Andrew Alton focuses on electrical and mechanical technologies, acting for SMEs and plcs.

Withers & Rogers has teams split across its Bristol and Midlands offices, and focuses on sectors such as life sciences, hi-tech, physics and engineering. Clients include UK manufacturing groups and international pharmaceuticals companies. In the advanced engineering team, James Gray ‘brings a level-headed, knowledgeable set of skills, and is exceptionally thorough in research and correspondence’.

Abel & Imray has a team of 15 attorneys across Bath and Cardiff. The ‘excellent’ Julian Bardo leads the physics, engineering and IT group as well as the trade marks team; and Ceris Humphreys leads the chemical and biotech group. The firm is developing its aerospace and defence sector client base, acting for BAE and Cassidian. New clients include Amputees in Action and Planet Earth Instituto. Matthew Critten and Jim Denness are also recommended.

Appleyard Lees is ‘a trustworthy, reliable’ firm that provides ‘high-quality, practical advice’. Its life sciences team is particularly well regarded. ‘Very knowledgeable’ senior partner Bob Pidgeon leads the chemicals team with Anthony Brierley, who has ‘an ability to understand new technologies very rapidly, and is very efficient in drafting’. David Walsh is ‘a good all-round patent lawyer who can also see the case from a commercial perspective’. Jennifer Delaney is ‘exceptionally talented’, and ‘honest and frank’. Ian Robinson acts for Samsung.

Elkington and Fife LLP is valued for its ‘first-rate, industry-specific knowledge, as well as honesty, trust and integrity’. The patents group acts for multinationals such as Samsung, Balfour Beatty, P&G, and Hewlett-Packard, with Dr Gordon Wright leading on pharmaceutical patent extensions. David Wraige has ‘extremely comprehensive industry knowledge, and an ability to explain technical matters very clearly’. Trade mark clients include DC Comics, Cisco, BASF and Hyundai, with work led by Mark Hiddleston, who handles a high volume of applications and oppositions. Graham Boon and Richard Marchant retired, while Robert Zijlstra has been appointed partner.

HLBBshaw’s team is spread across Epping, Birmingham, Cambridge, Reading and Leeds. Chemistry and materials science head Dr Christopher Moore advised Saffil (part of the Dyson Group) in a successful EPO appeal. Dr Alex Turnbull leads both the engineering group and the electronics, computer science and telecoms group, with clients including Akamai and SRA. Pharma and nutrition group clients include Sanofi Pasteur and Actavis. John Moffat leads the trade mark group, which recently advised M&C Energy Group on global rebranding issues.

Harrison Goddard Foote HGF has a UK-wide presence, and is noted for its strength in the areas of chemistry and pharmaceuticals. Manchester-based Dr Andrew Wells is ‘very knowledgeable on the pharmaceutical industry, and an extremely capable patent attorney’, and Lee Curtis is recommended for trade mark matters. In Leeds, Chris Vaughan and Jonathan Atkinson are well regarded for their ability to handle complex issues. Glasgow-based Dr Gary Wilson is ‘a trusted service provider, and highly knowledgeable’. Clients include Astra Zeneca, Robert Bosch, Ipsen and Eaton Corporation. In trade marks, David Potter is ‘a knowledgeable and reliable attorney’. New clients include Jaguar Land Rover and Halfords.

Marks & Clerk LLP has a host of offices across the UK, although its Leeds base is set to close in August 2011, with the team relocating to the Manchester office, and the Leicester and Birmingham offices were consolidated in 2010. Representative clients include Weetabix, MedImmune and Weatherford International. The Cambridge team has particular strength in life sciences.

Mewburn Ellis LLP’s Bristol, Cambridge and Manchester offices have particular depth in the biotech and pharmaceuticals fields. Bristol-based Chris Denison has ‘vast and in-depth expertise on chemistry’, and handles Genentech’s anti-VEGF portfolio, which includes the drug Lucentis. In Cambridge, Stephen Gill is ‘extremely knowledgeable, and has an eye for detail’. On the trade marks side, Roger Grimshaw and Sofia Arenal are highly regarded. Newly promoted partner Stephen Hodsdon represented the respondent in the High Court appeal Galileo International v European Union.

Murgitroyd & Company, with seven offices across the UK, acts for multinationals and SMEs in industrial sectors, and is experienced in the electronics, telecoms and chemicals sectors. It is particularly well regarded for its capabilities in life sciences and engineering. On the patents side, Glasgow-based Russell Thom, Graham Murnane, Craig Thomson and Beverley Ouzman are all recommended. In Aberdeen, James Brown is noted for his business acumen, and Jamie Allan provides ‘strategic knowledge’. Edinburgh-based Gordon Stark is ‘clearly an expert in European patent law’.

Reddie & Grose LLP’s biotech, chemistry and pharmaceuticals group is led from its Cambridge office by Dr Neil Thornton, and acts for clients including Funxional Therapeutics, CBT Development and Metalysis. Dr Michael Roberts is noted for his ‘attention to detail, and clear analytical thought’, and consultant Dr Jonathan Davies is also well regarded. Metallurgy specialist Dr Alan Bates and Dr Simon Goodman, who also handles trade mark matters, are both recommended.

Led out of Manchester, Wilson Gunn is highly praised for its cost-effective service and approachable team. It has ‘the knack of providing focused, relevant advice on highly complex matters in plain English’. Senior partner Mark Goodwin heads a strong team, which includes trade mark specialist Bruce Marsh. Michael Douglas and James Robey are ‘the future of the practice’; and Birmingham-based David Slattery is highly regarded for hi-tech and electronics – ‘a very solid individual with good analytical skills’. Clients include Mölnlycke Health Care, Raleigh, Bentley Motors, and Hubbell.

Chapman Molony’s patent and trade mark group is based across Winchester, Cardiff and Leamington Spa. It specialises in complex technologies, for clients in the hi-tech, telecoms, medical and defence sectors. Managing director Helga Chapman acts for Saint-Gobain Gypusm and Help for Heroes. It has made a number of hires, including Dr Victoria Pugsley from Mewburn Ellis LLP.

Cleveland’s Reading office is led by Fraser Brown, with the team focusing particularly on life sciences.

Based in Sheffield and Northampton, Franks & Co Limited acts for a range of international and domestic clients in patent and trade mark matters.

IP 21 Ltd’s Norwich team handles patent and trade mark work for clients in sectors such as chemicals, biotech and electronics.

J A Kemp & Co’s Oxford office is headed up by Colin Merryweather, who provides ‘thoughtful and practical advice and excellent industry knowledge’, and focuses on the IT and electronics sectors. Local clients include Isis Innovation, BioVex and Oxford Immunotec.

Outside its London base, Mathys & Squire LLP has a presence in Cambridge, Manchester, Reading and York. On the trade marks side, Robert Hawley and Gary Johnston are recommended.

Scott & York Intellectual Property Law provides ‘a solid service’ across the chemicals, life sciences, mechanical and hi-tech sectors. Dr Alicia Instone acts for Aurora Lighting, Intersurgical and Thermo Fisher/Abgene. It is particularly recommended for automotive engineering, with work led by Andrew Mackenzie. In the IT and electronics team, Alasdair Kennington is ‘very bright, meticulous, and creative in spotting opportunities’. Lynn Harris heads the trade marks group.

W P Thompson & Co’s Liverpool team advises on a broad range of technologies. Nick Manley handles work for the electrical and mechanical sectors, and Jennifer Maddox advises on trade mark matters.

Search News and Articles

Press releases

The latest news direct from law firms. If you would like to submit press releases for your firm, send an email request to

Legal Developments in the UK

Legal Developments and updates from the leading lawyers in each jurisdiction. To contribute, send an email request to

Press Releases in the UK

The latest news direct from law firms. If you would like to submit press releases for your firm, send an email request to
© 2012 www.legal500.com