Zoë Butler > Powell Gilbert LLP > London, England > Lawyer Profile

Powell Gilbert LLP
85 FLEET STREET
LONDON
EC4Y 1AE
England

Work Department

Intellectual property.

Position

Specialises in contentious intellectual property matters; practice covers full range of IP rights, acting for clients across a broad range of technical areas and industry sectors, from IT/electronics to biotech/ pharma. Particularly known for her expertise in advising clients in complex patent disputes, with experience before UK High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court, European Patent Office, UK Intellectual Property Office; and extensive experience of co-ordinating parallel litigation in a number of jurisdictions. Also advises on related issues arising from international technology standards, such as patent pools, licensing and FRAND, and counsels on patent litigation strategy, including pharmaceutical lifecycle management, with a wealth of experience in providing freedom to operate and due diligence advice. Teaches on the Oxford University Diploma in IP law and is a contributor to the CIPA Guide to the Patents Act.

Career

Trained Freshfields; qualified 1996; joined Bristows 1996; six-month secondment to De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek, The Netherlands, 2003; partner Bristows 2004; one of the founding partners of Powell Gilbert LLP 2007; Solicitor (Ireland) 2020; UPC Representative 2023.

Memberships

AIPPI; EPLAW ; IPLA; ChIPs; LSLA.

Education

Westcliff High School for Girls; Newnham College, Cambridge (MA Cantab Natural Sciences and Law); College of Law (prize for LPC result, awarded by the Law Society); Bristol University, Diploma in Intellectual Property Law and Practice (top mark in year).

Leisure

My daughters and, when time, travel, art history and reading.

Lawyer Rankings

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

(Leading partners)

Zoë Butler Powell Gilbert LLP

Providing its clients with a ‘combination of outstanding legal, technical and strategic competence’, Powell Gilbert LLP is highly capable of advising on the full gamut of patent issues arising from a multitude of technically complex sectors, particularly the life sciences sphere. The group frequently appears before the courts on very significant and market-leading cases. Penny Gilbert, who is a pre-eminent practitioner in the spheres of pharmaceuticals and biotech litigation, and Simon Ayrton, who deploys his extensive experience to assist a panoply of clients with FRAND disputes, as well as patent infringement and validity proceedings, jointly lead the practice. Zoë Butler is recommended for her strengths in multi-jurisdictional disputes, while Alex Wilson, who is fluent in French and German, represents notable clients in a range of matters relating to pharmaceuticals, semi-conductors, medical devices, and explosives. Bethan Hopewell leverages her background in molecular biology to handle issues arising from the life sciences sector, and Ari Laakkonen contributes his particular expertise in electronic patent litigation and licensing disputes. Other recommended lawyers include Tim Whitfield, Peter Damerell, Tom Oliver, Siddharth Kusumakar, Joel Coles, Tess Waldron, Rajvinder Jagdev, and Bryce Matthewson.

London > Industry focus > Life sciences and healthcare

Powell Gilbert LLP has developed a market reputation for high-profile IP litigation and advisory work and is praised for its ‘unparalleled collective knowledge in the life sciences patent litigation field’. Penny Gilbert leads the team and has amassed considerable experience in UK and European patent litigation. Zoë Butler’s board practice extends to patent entitlement disputes. Bethan Hopewell frequently represents clients in technically complex proceedings concerning issues such as therapeutic nucleoside analogues. Tim Whitfield, who divides his practice between London and Dublin, is frequently called upon to co-ordinate multi-jurisdictional patent litigation campaigns.