The Legal 500

D Young & Co provides a high-quality personalised and professional service for a diverse range of clients around the world. The firm is known for its integrity through provision of high-quality advice and the development of long-term relationships and trust amongst clients and suppliers. D Young & Co achieved top tier rankings in all 2010 Legal 500 IP categories (patents and trade marks in London and the regions).

The firm: D Young & Co continually evaluates and implements the best possible solutions for its clients and for its own business. In January 2011 the firm announced the launch of its dispute resolution and litigation group, welcoming Ian Starr and Tamsin Holman to the partnership. In so doing the firm became the first major UK IP firm to provide litigation and related legal services by becoming a Legal Disciplinary Partnership (LDP) comprising both attorneys and solicitors. This expansion of the firm’s range of services enables D Young & Co both to strengthen and streamline client services, ensuring continuity in the quality of service in a cost effective manner.

The firm’s attorneys develop direct, close and often long-term working relationships with their clients, and frequently create flexible, multi-disciplined teams to match technical skills and knowledge with specific client requirements. In this way the firm has developed enduring and trusted relationships with organisations of all sizes, located around the world. Clients are multinational corporations, small and medium-sized enterprises, successful start-up companies and prestigious academic institutions.

Many of the firm’s attorneys have practical experience working in academic environments, in the UK and European Patent Offices and as in-house counsel for major companies. Attorneys and solicitors are active in lecturing on IP issues in both the UK and overseas, have published papers on technical and IP matters in international journals and sit on international IP committees.

Types of work undertaken: D Young & Co offers a full range of IP management services, including IP generation (drafting, filing, prosecution and attending to grant of patents, trade marks, service marks and designs), IP utilisation, defence, enforcement and challenge (representing clients before the English Courts, UK Patent and Trade Mark Office, the European Patent Office and OHIM, coordinating pan-European litigation matters, and advice regarding procurement or licensing) and IP awareness (departmental reviews for clients, searching, monitoring and advising on third-party IP positions).

D Young & Co’s practice is divided between four main groups: the trade mark group has consistently been in the top five for UK filings in the last ten years and has a substantial CTM (Community Trade Mark) filing and prosecution practice, as well as handling over 1,500 CTM oppositions since the system commenced operation. The team advises on a diverse range of goods and services, including the fashion industry, rock and pop groups, food products, beverages and chemicals.

The electronics, engineering and IT group serves clients with business interests across a broad range of technical fields, including consumer and broadcast electronics, image and signal processing, telecommunications, information technology, physics, optical technology, computer processor architecture, automotive technologies, aerospace technologies, engineering structures, microengineering technologies and advanced materials, including ceramic, composite and electronic materials. The group also works in the field of registered designs and design right.

The biotechnology, chemistry and pharmaceuticals group is one of the most successful patent life sciences groups in Europe and provides a depth of experience across a broad range of technologies, including chemistry, biochemistry, pharmacology, biotechnology, molecular biology, immunology, food technology, polymer technology and electrochemistry. The group serves clients in the pharmaceutical, food, veterinary, agrochemical, polymer, cosmetics, petrochemical, lubricant additives and fuel cell industries. The group has particular expertise in contentious matters, including pan-European litigation, oppositions and appeals before the European Patent Office.

The dispute resolution and litigation group has extensive experience in all forms of IP enforcement and exploitation, both before the English Courts and in coordinating multi-national litigation. They cover all areas of IP as well as domain name disputes, copyright, technology disputes and advertising/marketing law issues. Particular areas of expertise include luxury goods, the fashion industry, FMCG, engineering/construction, pharmaceuticals, financial services and media/publishing.

Number of partners 32
Number of other fee-earners 48
Total staff 176