Allens‘ group is particularly prolific in the life sciences sector, acting for major global healthcare players in patent infringement and revocation proceedings before the Federal Court of Australia. The group also regularly manages trade mark portfolios for blue-chip clients from a myriad of sectors. Caroline Ryan, who joined the firm’s sizeable Melbourne IP team from King & Wood Mallesons in July 2021, is praised for being ‘highly skilled in IP, and responsive and practical in her advice.’ Sydney-based practice head Miriam Stiel is a key port of call for clients seeking strategic brand protection and advertising advice. Melbourne-based Richard Hamer is ‘well known for his expertise in the patents field’, specialising most keenly in pharmaceutical sector patent litigation. Other key names to note include the Melbourne-based managing associate Nadia Diaz, who has significant experience in both contentious and non-contentious intellectual property and franchising matters. Elsewhere, Tim Golder has a strong litigious practice within intellectual property and Andrew Wiseman is active in the life sciences sector, emblematic of the group as a whole.

Working across offices in Melbourne and Sydney, the multi-jurisdictional practice at Ashurst is lauded by clients for offering a ‘depth of expertise within the team, and displaying good collaboration with other practice areas to provide seamless service.’ Its dedicated IP team ‘has an excellent reputation across the breadth and depth of intellectual property’, able to handle the full gamut of advisory, commercial, portfolio protection and IP enforcement issues. Group head Anita Cade has a broad IP practice which spans contentious and non-contentious matters, with recent engagements seeing her advising consumer goods multinationals on trade mark infringement proceedings brought by heavyweight conglomerates. Lisa Ritson also frequently handles litigation proceedings, appearing in trade mark oppositions, as well as contentious marketing and consumer protection matters. Stuart D’Aloisio concentrates on property litigation and transactional work.

The team at Baker McKenzie handles a range of contentious IP matters, from copyright litigation to high-profile trade mark and large-scale patent proceedings – a particular area of strength for Helen Macpherson. The team is led by Andrew Stewart, an ‘excellent strategic thinker’ who regularly advises clients on audio and visual streaming copyright mandates. Elisabeth White is also active in contentious proceedings, focusing chiefly on IP protection and enforcement matters. Byron Angelopulo, who spearheads the firm’s Australian trade mark offering, is a prolific advisor in commercial and transactional IP work. Chantal Savage is also a key name to note at associate level.

Operating across a number of offices nationwide, the team at Clayton Utz regularly advises on a significant volume of both contentious and non-contentious work, including patents, licensing, copyright, trade marks, trade secrets, and litigious proceedings taken before the federal courts. Sydney-based practice head John Collins is a seasoned practitioner who specialises in complex patent and trade mark issues, both domestically and internationally. Regarded by clients as ‘one of Australia’s top IP litigators’, Tim Webb is especially noted for his expertise in copyright law. All named lawyers are based in Sydney. James Neil was promoted to partner in January 2022.

Praised for its ‘great innate knowledge of IP litigation‘, Gilbert + Tobin‘s strong contentious acumen sees the team running multiple cases in the High Court of Australia, often concurrently. Beyond its proficiency in disputes, the team possesses wide-ranging expertise in commercial IP licensing and regulatory compliance, including knowledge of food labelling, and health and Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) regulation. The practice is headed up by the Sydney-based Michael Williams, who boasts ‘strong capabilities across the board‘ when it comes to trade mark, copyright, and patent matters. Williams is well-supported by Chris Williams, a key figure within the patent litigation specialist. Siabon Seet is particularly prolific when it comes to brand protection and complex trade mark litigation work, and John Lee specialises in cross-border patent litigation. At associate level, Rebecca Dunn‘s workload is concentrated in technology and data protection disputes.

With a significant presence in both Melbourne and Sydney, the cross-disciplinary group at Herbert Smith Freehills fields dedicated IP disputes, commercial IP, and trade mark-focused teams. The wider practice is headed up by Sue Gilchrist, a Sydney-based partner noted for her capabilities in high-profile patent, copyright, and trade mark litigation. Other key names to note include the Melbourne-based Shaun McVicar, who specialises in the pharmaceutical and medical device sectors, and the Sydney-based Rebekah Gay – global IP disputes co-chair – who handles a range of multi-jurisdictional patent litigations. Sydney-based senior associate Anna Vandervliet routinely advises on cross-border disputes, counting a number of FMCG clients among her broad client base, and Emma Iles focuses on pharmaceutical and medical device patent litigation.

Praised by clients for displaying ‘a deep and broad experience in licensing IP’, King & Wood Mallesons specialises in high-stakes litigation, brand protection, and strategic IP commercial advice. Litigation expert Matthew Swinn heads up the team from the firm’s Melbourne office, working with various high-profile manufacturing companies – including medical device manufacturers – on a range of matters. The Melbourne office was bolstered by the arrival of Kate Hay from Corrs Chambers Westgarth in March 2022; a seasoned lawyer who possesses significant experience in multi-jurisdictional patent, copyright, and trade mark litigation. Elsewhere, Kim O’Connell is well known for her work in the life sciences sector. At the associate level, Brisbane-based senior associate Karen Litherland‘s ‘combination of common sense advice and great attention to detail’ makes her a key contact for various global banks and multinational tech companies.

Working across offices in Melbourne and Sydney, the team at Griffith Hack is praised for the depth of its ‘understanding of patent law and practice in Australia’, as well as the ‘cohesive, balanced‘ nature of its subspecialised team structure. Key names to note at practice management level include Nicola Scheepers, who oversees the trade mark team; Amanda Stark, who spearheads the chemlife offering; Derek Baigent, who steers the team’s IP law efforts; and David Hughes, who oversees the Engineering and ICT team. Bagient is particularly renowned for his contentious expertise, especially in relation to technology-focused IP issues, including patent litigation and commercialisation.

Copyright and patent litigation are key areas of expertise for the Sydney-based Banki Haddock Fiora; a boutique commercial firm which handles a gamut of litigious and transactional work in the IP space. Regarded by some clients as a practice that ‘understands music copyright better than any other firm in Australia‘, the team is particularly skilled at acting for music, literary and media publishers in a range of contentious and non-contentious matters. The cross-disciplinary practice is jointly chaired by several partners: Kate Haddock leads the copyright team; Julie Robb heads up the dispute resolution practice; and Simon Kneebone, who heads up the trade marks and designs group, is praised by clients for his ‘clear experience in the consumer products and brand protection space.’ At the senior associate level, experienced IP litigator Alasdair Doctor is recommended.

Sought out by a range of clients - from start ups to key domestic entities and multinational companies - Gadens Lawyers is noted for its 'comprehensive' IP filing, opposition, and litigation practice. Practice head David Smith, whose mandates are often centred around the sales and marketing aspects of intellectual property, is notably supported by Kerry Awerbuch, a strong trade mark litigator who assists high-profile clients in the IT, engineering, manufacturing, and retail industries, among others. All named lawyers are based in Melbourne. Hazel McDwyer has left the practice.

The team at Maddocks is led by Brendan Coady  who is also the technology sector lead. The group handles the protection and commercialisation of patents and related litigation together with a full service in relation to brand protection and monetisation. Its work covers sectors including pharmaceuticals, medical technology and chemical engineering industries. Ben Miller is a hugely experienced IP specialist (patent transactions and disputes) while Anthony Willis  and Caroline Atkins in Canberra, and  Jeff Goodall   are some of the key advisers who provide the full range of technical and commercial expertise.

Providing ‘outstanding local advice for the Australian market‘, McCullough Robertson - based in Brisbane and Sydney - assists clients with portfolio management at all stages of the life cycle, as well as with trade mark prosecution and enforcement. The group is headed up by the ‘commercial, client-focused‘ Belinda Breakspear. Alex Hutchens is a seasoned commercial and regulatory lawyer with a keen focus on IP, IT, telecoms, and privacy data protection issues. On the contentious side, Peter Stokes, who regularly appears on behalf of clients in patent and trade mark disputes, is recommended.

Based in Sydney, Simpsons Solicitors is a specialist IP firm which ‘provides excellent advice that is both technical and strategic.’ The team regularly appears in high-profile trade mark and copyright cases, representing major multinational tech companies and streaming platforms in Copyright Tribunal proceedings regarding license schemes. The group is headed up by Adam Simpson, noted by clients for his ‘deep experience in IP and trade practices law’, together with media and entertainment sector experts Jules Munro and Mark Bamford.

Sparke Helmore Lawyers' wide-ranging capabilities encompass IP protection, enforcement, and portfolio management, as well as IP commercialisation; the latter of which is a key specialism for Sydney-based practice co-chair and national IPT head Shannon Platt. Platt is also well-versed in IP litigation, with recent engagements seeing her acting for financial services entities in concurrent proceedings before the federal court. Fellow practice co-chair Dalvin Chien possesses significant experience advising on commercial issues related to technology transactions. All named lawyers are based in Sydney.

Bolstered by its November 2021 merger with Shelston IP, Spruson & Ferguson’s breadth and depth translates to a varied client base that comprises a diverse array of household names, ranging from consumer goods manufacturers to multinational fast food chains. Practice head Chris Bevitt leads the ‘strong’ team, which clients single out for its capabilities in ‘complicated pharmaceutical litigation’. Former practice head Khajaque Kortian, who counts both major international and local corporations among his clientele, is regularly engaged for his expertise in portfolio management. All lawyers mentioned are based in Sydney.

The Melbourne-based Arnold Bloch Leibler services a host of retail and telecoms clients, both domestically and internationally. The group is particularly capable on the contentious side, with practice group head Zaven Mardirossian regularly assisting clients to protect their property rights from third party infringement matters. At the senior associate level, Gabriel Sakkal is noted for his capabilities in multidisciplinary IP mandates, especially those concerning competition law.

The deep bench at Macpherson Kelley includes Victoria-based national practice head Paul Kirton; Belinda Sigismundi, who leads the team in the Dandenong office; as well as Mark Metzeling and Stuart Gibson who head up the teams in Brisbane and Melbourne, respectively. Gibson, an experienced IP lawyer, joined the firm from Mills Oakley in May 2022 and ‘acts for many fashion brands in Australia both in a proactive and defensive capability.’

The fast-growing team at IP boutique Pearce IP is reputed for its ‘in-depth understanding of the science and pharmaceutical regulatory industry’, working exclusively with a range of life sciences clients on transactional, regulatory, and litigious matters. On the contentious side, Naomi Pearce – the firm founder – and Katrina Crooks are praised for their ‘extensive experience’ and ‘sound and considered’ litigation capabilities. All named lawyers are based in Sydney.