Firm Profile > Elkington + Fife LLP > London, England
Elkington + Fife LLP Offices
THAVIES INN HOUSE
3-4 HOLBORN CIRCUS
LONDON
EC1N 2HA
England
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Elkington + Fife LLP > The Legal 500 Rankings
PATMA: Patent attorneys Tier 2
Elkington + Fife LLP stands out through the combination of its highly successful opposition and appeals practice, its proven track record in the efficient prosecution of electronics patents, its in-depth knowledge of the protection of biotechnology patent portfolios, and its stellar client list. The practice fields a particularly busy caseload for major generics companies as part of its pharmaceutical offering, but is also visible across a good spread of other sectors, including the consumer product, transport and semiconductor sectors. Through the partner promotion of Mark Scott, the firm added a versatile attorney to its partnership, with Scott's expertise including materials science, medical devices and chemistry. Practice heads Richard Gillard and Nick Ertl, based in London and Sevenoaks respectively, are among the key contacts.
Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Excellent, commercially relevant advice based on a sound understanding of case law.’
‘Richard Cooke is a top-notch pharmaceutical attorney, providing clear advice.’
‘Glyn Truscott is a brilliant biotechnology attorney on top of all the issues.’
‘The practice is well organised, efficient and knowledgeable in the field of patents worldwide.’
‘Daniel Portch is diligent, has a wealth of experience, provides good support and always meets deadlines.’
‘They are more strategic than most and know the law and procedure inside out.’
‘Oliver Kingsbury is great. He wins cases and is very easy to deal with.’
‘Standout service, very responsive and client-oriented advice.’
‘I’m super impressed with Rob O’Callaghan. I have not the slightest quibble about anything. I have complete trust in him. He was always available for face-to-face meetings.’
‘Elkington and Fife’s partners and associates are skilled in EPO opposition and appeal practice. Their expertise and skill in oral proceedings are amongst the best that we have seen in either UK or continental firms.’
‘The partners we work with regularly are able to cut to the core of issues quickly and their ability to adapt to the specific needs and requirements of our business makes instruction, collaboration and billing seamless and easy.’
‘A highly efficient practice that is able to pull together the right people at the right time to get the job done. A broad range of technical expertise that can be combined to produce outstanding results.’
‘Richard Gillard is a leading pharma patent agent in his cohort. He has great insight into the business and rarely fails to deliver results.’
‘James Anderson provides reliable and trustworthy clearance advice with a burgeoning presence in complex medical devices with electronic features.’
‘Elkington provide a very personal customised service.’
Key clients
AbbVie Inc.
Actavis
Alcon Laboratories Inc.
Amgen Inc.
Astex
Balfour Beatty
Bayer
Benuvia Therapeutics, Inc.
Bial
Corning Incorporated
Deka Research & Development Corp.
Fujifilm Speciality Ink Systems Limited
Graphene Composites Ltd.
IBM
Instituto de Medicina Molecular (Portuguese Research Institute)
Malvern Panalytical B.V.
Merck KGaA
Mundipharma (Pharmaceuticals)
Mylan
NantKwest, Inc.
Nestlé
Novartis
Philips
Polpharma
Procter & Gamble
ReNeuron
Rothwell Figg Ernst & Manbeck
Sandoz
Samsung
Solvay
Strategic Support Ltd.
TempEasy Limited
Teva
Thrive Earlier Detection
Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust
u-blox AG
University of Kent
Wood Phillips
Zymeworks
PATMA: Trade mark attorneys Tier 3
At Elkington + Fife LLP, the team led by the experienced Chris McLeod continues its organic growth trajectory. The firm's offering encompasses the prosecution of trade marks in the UK and the EU - an area of particular strength - the prosecution of foreign trade marks, including representation in the respective opposition and appeals proceedings, and longstanding experience in design prosecution matters. With its varied caseload, including recent highlights from the IT, food and drink, broadcasting, toys, technology, chemical and consumer product sectors, the group demonstrates its versatility and market knowledge.
Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Chris McLeod is fantastic. We trust him for his trade mark prosecution and enforcement skill.’
‘Chris McLeod is great, as is his colleague Allister McManus. Their prices are highly competitive. Communication with Chris and Allister is clear, helpful and prompt.’
‘The team is highly experienced and efficient. They are responsive and accessible from the most senior to junior members and demonstrate a consistent approach throughout. They have a varied client base with a strong international focus. They have particular expertise in contentious work before the UKIPO on trade mark matters thanks to Chris McLeod, who presents his clients’ arguments in a clear, concise and effective way.’
‘Chris McLeod is a well-known and respected figure in the UK IP profession. His pragmatic and considered approach is effective with clients, his opponents and the UKIPO. He has great practical experience coupled with a good feel for how a case might go. He runs his team with a light touch which allows more junior members to come to the fore rather than shuffle papers in the background. His highly professional approach is leavened by his sense of humour.’
‘Good communication and practical advice.’
‘Chris McLeod consistently provides an excellent service.’
‘We are highly satisfied with the excellent work of the team of Elkington and Fife LLP and Chris McLeod.’
‘Chris McLeod is efficient and knowledgeable, always providing a timely and clear response.’
‘Chris McLeod is extremely knowledgeable. He is truly exceptional in this area and knows the law inside and out. He makes complex tasks seem simple and approachable. He is also a great character to work with – you instantly feel like you have known him for years. He makes it his business to get to know his clients, which makes for a great working relationship.’
‘E&F is, in my view, an excellent, unpretentious, hardworking, talented shop and all the people with whom I have worked have provided excellent support to me. I trust these guys, and find them practical, down to earth and always available to me.’
Key clients
Independent Vetcare Limited
Old St. Andrews Limited
Formula One Management Limited
Koninklijke Philips N.V.
Signify Holding B.V.
BASF SE
Acer Incorporated
Evonik Industries AG
Knijff Trademark Attorneys
Blank Rome LLP
Citation Limited
Appelsdrift Farm (Pty) Ltd/Bruce Jack Wines Limited
Slaughter and May
Farrer & Co LLP
Malvern Panalytical B.V.
Vohkus Limited
Fujifilm Speciality Ink Systems Limited
Corning Incorporated
Decon Laboratories Limited
GZ Systems Limited
Fulham Football Club
Corsearch
Chaos Fashion Limited
The Juice Master Limited/Jason Vale
Memery Crystal LLP
Collyer Bristow
DLA Piper (US)
Elkington + Fife LLP > Firm Profile
Elkington + Fife LLP is a leading firm of patent and trade mark attorneys with a worldwide reputation. It regularly punches far above its weight in terms of the quality of work and clientele. The partners and fee-earners are acknowledged experts in their fields, many having worked previously in-house in large multinational corporate IP departments, law firms or at the EPO. A consistently high standard of work is achieved by having a high degree of partner involvement in most work. The firm prides itself on giving high-quality responsive advice which is also commercial in nature and geared to the needs of its clients. The needs of clients are paramount and it is happy to look at ways of fitting its service to its clients’ individual requirements. It is not afraid to listen.
The firm: Elkington + Fife LLP has strong and expanding chemical, bioscience, electrical and mechanical departments. Partners Richard Gillard, James Anderson and Oliver Kingsbury have substantial patent opposition practices before the EPO. Nick Ertl has developed a significant outsourcing service for filing patents for a number of large multinational clients.
Elkington + Fife’s partners and fee-earners have a wealth of experience in their respective areas. Gordon Wright, a consultant, is widely acknowledged as the pre-eminent expert on pharmaceutical patent extension (SPCs) in Europe. Both he and Oliver Kingsbury have handled numerous pan-European SPC filing programme for major pharmaceutical companies. Chris McLeod handles a large portfolio of trade mark applications and opposition cases both before the UK IPO and at OHIM. He also has substantial experience in dealing with worldwide trade mark disputes.
As a whole, Elkington + Fife handles work for an enviable list of worldwide multinational companies including many household names and a number of top US companies listed in the Fortune 500. At the same time, through the firm’s offices in Sevenoaks and Sandwich, its clients have a strong regional presence in the Kent and South East area.
Elkington + Fife LLP is also active at the professional level, having members on the councils of CIPA, INTA and CITMA committees. The partners regularly speak at conferences and act as editors contributing to the CIPA ‘black book’ or as senior editor to the CITMA and CIPA Trade mark Handbook, the leading authority on UK trade mark practice.
Types of work undertaken: The firm provides the expected full range of prosecution services including the preparation, filing and prosecution of UK, European and international patent applications, the clearance and searching of trade marks in the UK, Europe and worldwide and the filing of UK, Community trade marks, international and foreign trade mark applications and registered design applications. On the patents side, advice includes IP due diligence investigations and practical assistance on patent portfolio strategies.
Work is divided between three strategic departments:
Chemicals/biosciences: The department has a large opposition practice before the EPO and has acted for a number of the top 15 international pharma companies in the last year. The firm also acts for a number of British and US universities and UK-based hi-tech and engineering firms. Particular areas of expertise include nanotechnology, SPCs and life cycle management.
Electrical and mechanical: Elkington + Fife LLP has both a strong EPO opposition and patent filing practice. It is particularly experienced in helping electronics firms with their outsourcing and overflow drafting of applications, particularly in complex technologies.
Trade marks: The firm has substantial expertise in trade mark clearance both in the UK and worldwide and the handling of all aspects of UK, CTM, foreign and international applications. It also has substantial experience in relation to handling UK and CTM oppositions and Europe and worldwide trade mark disputes, with experience of handling cases up to the Boards of Appeal and the General Court. The firm handles work for a wide spectrum of clients including blue-chip companies in the chemical, pharmaceutical, telecommunications, IT, toy retail, automobile and engineering, medical and entertainment industries.
Other offices: London, Sandwich
Main Contacts
| Department | Name | Telephone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pharmaceutical chemistry, polymer/inorganic chemistry | Richard Gillard | ||
| Pharmaceutical chemistry | Oliver Kingsbury | ||
| Pharmaceutical chemistry | Richard Cooke | ||
| Pharmaceutical chemistry, polymer/inorganic chemistry | Lee Mullen | ||
| Pharmaceutical chemistry, polymer/inorganic chemistry | Samantha Busher | ||
| Polymer/inorganic chemistry, semiconductor technology | Erik Scheuermann | ||
| Biology, biotechnology | Glyn Truscott | ||
| Physics, general engineering | James Anderson | ||
| Software, business methods | Nick Ertl | ||
| Software, business methods | Daniel Portch | ||
| Electronics, Software, & IT | Rob O'Callaghan | ||
| Trade marks, copyright, designs | Chris McLeod | ||
| Biology, biotechnology | Jens Grabenstein | ||
| Pharmaceutical chemistry, polymer/inorganic chemistry | Mark Scott | ||
| Physics, general engineering | Ellie Seymour |
Lawyer Profiles
| Photo | Name | Position | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|
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Dr Richard Cooke | Partner | View Profile |
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Dr Richard Gillard | Partner | View Profile |
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Chris McLeod | Partner | View Profile |
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Lee Mullen | Partner | View Profile |
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Glyn Truscott | Partner | View Profile |