Kelly Thompson > Adams & Adams > Pretoria, South Africa > Lawyer Profile
Adams & Adams Offices
LYNNWOOD BRIDGE, 4 DAVENTRY STREET,
LYNNWOOD MANOR,
PRETORIA
South Africa
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Kelly Thompson
Work Department
Trade Marks
Position
Partner: Firm Chairperson
Career
Kelly Thompson is a senior partner in the trade mark litigation group and the current chairperson of Adams & Adams. She is an experienced, top-tier ranked attorney and trade mark practitioner. Thompson advises some of the world’s top multi-national organisations on the protection and enforcement of their brands and other intellectual property in Africa. She also specialises in advertising law and disputes. She graduated from the University of Stellenbosch with a Bachelor of Arts in 1996, and acquired her LLB in 1998 from the same institution. Thompson is a member of the Legal Practice Council, and a fellow of the South African Institute of Intellectual Property Law (SAIIPL). She has served as chairperson of the trade mark litigation section of Adams & Adams and has contributed to numerous publications on various aspects of trade mark law.
Languages
English
Memberships
- ADVOC Network – Member
- Global Advertising Lawyer Alliance (GALA) – Member
- International Trademark Association (INTA) – Member
- INTA: Famous and Well-known Marks Committee MEASA Sub-Committee Chair
- Legal Practice Council (LPC) – Member
- Pretoria Attorneys Association (PAA) – Member
- South African Institute of Intellectual Property Law (SAIIPL) – Fellow
- SAIIPL: Copyright Law Committee Member
- SAIIPL: Copyright Lecturer
- SAIIPL: Senior Domain Name Dispute Adjudicator
Accolades:
- Best Lawyers® – Intellectual Property Law: South Africa | 2018 – 2024
- Best Lawyers® – Litigation: South Africa | 2022 – 2023
- Chambers Global – Ranked Lawyer | 2016 – 2025
- Global IP Stars – Top 250 Women in IP | 2018
- Legal 500 – Recommended Lawyer: Intellectual Property | 2019; 2022 – 2025
- MIP – IP Stars: Trademarks | 2017 – 2024
- Who’s Who Legal – Trade Marks| 2021 – 2024
- WTR 1000 – Individuals: Enforcement and Litigation (Silver) | 2018 – 2024
- WTR 1000 – Trademark Litigation | 2018 – 2019 (Silver)
- WIPR – WIPR Leaders: Trademarks | 2018; 2021 – 2024
Education
- Admitted Attorney | 2001
- Trade Mark Practitioner | 2001
- LLB – University of Stellenbosch |1998
- BA – University of Stellenbosch | 1996
Lawyer Rankings
South Africa > Intellectual property
Adams & Adams acts for prominent clients in the financial services, life sciences, healthcare, and technology sectors. Kelly Thompson has extensive experience in handling IP litigation, while Wilhelm Prozesky oversees the patents renewals side of the practice, and co-heads the overseas patents and designs filings team with Janice Galvad. Danie Dohmen handles patent disputes, James Davies leads the patent recordals practice, and Nicky Garnett heads up the firm’s African patents and designs team. Nolwazi Gcaba is often engaged in trade mark renewals and Godfrey Budeli heads up the firm’s anti-counterfeiting team. Steven Yeates and Nishan Singh are key contacts for trade mark prosecution and litigation, while Vishen Pillay and Sophia Smallbones are other key team members.