Venner Shipley LLP

Mechanical Engineering

Adrian Bennett was the Managing Partner of his previous firm and is now a European and UK Patent Attorney within Venner Shipley's Mechanical team.

His specialist areas of expertise include fluid mechanics, oil and gas exploration technology, hand-held power tools, engine design, control systems, space technology, aerodynamics and aircraft design.

With a long-held natural interest in aerospace and space technology, Adrian began his career as an aeronautical engineer with British Aerospace (BAe) Defence Ltd where he worked on supersonic and hypersonic research, aerodynamic performance of military aircraft and airborne vehicles, and vehicle control modelling. While working at BAe, Adrian also qualified as a pilot with the BAe Flying School and progressed to aerobatics, flying Pitts Special aircraft.

In his professional work as a patent attorney, Adrian has extensive experience, over more than twenty-five years, of drafting and prosecuting patent applications at the UK IPO, EPO and around the world for corporate clients and SMEs/start-ups. Adrian advises on IP strategy for both UK-based and overseas clients, and he regularly handles oral proceedings at the EPO. He is highly regarded for his work in leading these proceedings before the Opposition Divisions and the Boards of Appeal.

Adrian splits his time between our head office in London and our new office in the UK’s leading science and innovation campus in Harwell, Oxford.

Aeronautical design engineer for the Military Aircraft Division and Dynamics Division of British Aerospace Defence Ltd; qualified as a chartered engineer. Entered the patent profession 1995; joined the Northampton office of A.A. Thornton & Co 1996. Qualified as European patent attorney 2002; chartered patent attorney 2003; partner A.A. Thornton & Co. 2007; AA Thornton combined with Venner Shipley in 2024.

Institution of Mechanical Engineers (iMechE); Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA); European Patent Institute (EPI); International Liaison Committee of CIPA (ILC); Licensing Executives Society (LES).

Brunel University of West London (BA Hons Mechanical Engineering). This four year degree was sponsored by the Dynamics Division of British Aerospace Defence Ltd and was of a ‘thin-sandwich’ type providing eighteen months of practical training as an undergraduate engineer with the sponsoring company; Faculty of Law, University of the West of England (Postgraduate Diploma in Law).

Sailing, running, flying light aircraft (including aerobatics), golf.