Annsley Merelle Ward > WilmerHale > London, England > Lawyer Profile

WilmerHale
49 Park Lane
LONDON
W1K 1PS
England
Annsley Merelle Ward photo

Position

Partner

Career

Annsley Merelle Ward is an experienced and strategic intellectual property litigator focusing on complex cross-border patent, SPC, FRAND/SEP and trade secrets litigation, particularly at the interface of competition, contract and regulatory law.

With her background in chemical engineering, Ms. Ward acts for some of the world’s leading innovative technology companies in high tech IP disputes ranging from wireless technology, radiotherapy/MRI, and algorithmic trading to TNF-inhibitors, respiratory products, and molecular diagnostics.

Ms. Ward is renowned as an energetic and creative litigator and as someone who can identify game-changing opportunities in national procedural and substantive law. She has acted before every level of Courts of England and Wales, and the Court of Justice of the European Union, and has coordinated litigation strategy in more than 25 countries.

Prior to joining WilmerHale, Ms. Ward was a senior associate at another international law firm and at a leading London IP litigation boutique.

Professional Activities

For more than 10 years, Ms. Ward has served the global IP community through her writing as a permanent member of the award-winning IPKat blog team, her work in the leadership of the UPC and Trade Secrets Committees of AIPPI and as a Council Member of the AIPPI UK and Programme Committee member of AIPPI. Ms. Ward is a Vice Chair to the Standing International IP Task Force of the American Bar Association Section of Intellectual Property Law (ABA-IPL) for the 2023–2024 bar year and brings her passion for advancing and supporting women in law, technology and policy to her roles in ChIPs Network, in particular as the Chair of the London Chapter and as the Co-Chair for Europe.

Lawyer Rankings

London > TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Intellectual property: patents (contentious and non-contentious)

Regarded as a ‘hugely experienced’ and ‘innovative’ team, WilmerHale maintains a strong practice in the tech space, handling numerous different types, from mobile phones to pharma products. Recent examples of contentious work include some large multijurisdictional patent litigation, working on cutting-edge SEP/FRAND issues. Justin Watts helms the team with vast experience in litigation, being particularly active in the pharma, medical devices, biotech, communications and hardware and software industries. ‘Calm and motivating team builder’ Anthony Trenton routinely leads on complex litigation, and Matthew Shade also possesses capabilities across pharma, medical devices, consumer electronics and technology spaces. ‘Clear star of the future’ Annsley Merelle Ward, who was promoted to partner in January 2023, counts innovative technology companies in her roster; she also possesses significant expertise in cross-border litigation. Associate Christina Guazzi is also recommended for her capabilities across life sciences and consumer electronics sectors.