Bird & Bird

Laurent is Counsel in our Intellectual Property Group, based in Paris.

Working as Counsel in our Paris Intellectual Property Group, Laurent draws on both his R&D engineering experience and on his registered French and European patent attorney experience to advise our clients on all phases of patent litigation matters.

His thorough knowledge of European patent law and enthusiasm for complex technological issues have equipped him to effectively navigate patent litigations in numerous technical fields, ranging from video coding to concrete mixes, coffee capsules, telecoms and industrial mechanics to name just a few.

From software engineering to judicial litigation, his professional career has been built upon three complementary professions. Laurent started out working as an R&D engineer for five years, in a large defence electronics company, working on the design and development of engineering projects. The discovery of law practice triggered his interest and led him onto a registered French and European patent attorney's path. He worked at the French office of an international IP firm for six years where he assisted innovators in protecting their inventions by drafting and prosecuting patents in a number of patent offices. He was also given the opportunity to act as a reference in European patent law for a large New Zealand industrial property firm for a few months.

Now, as part of the Paris team and together with his colleagues across Bird & Bird, he is always keen to delve into clients' various activity fields and to guide them through the maze of patent litigation. Laurent is eager to assist with devising the most effective strategy in order to achieve practical defensive or offensive results before the French courts, or for the purpose of negotiations. His former experience in patent prosecution allows him to better discern the opposing party's weaknesses and anticipate potential risks arise from a competitor's patent portfolio.

Aside from pure litigation proceedings work, he also regularly advises his clients on freedom-to-operate matters, risk assessment, and other opportunities offered by their patent assets.

Since 2014 he has been lecturing on patent law at Paris-Sud University and has been a member of several professional associations such as LES France and APEB.