Simmons & Simmons' pan-European patent litigation practice integrates dual-qualified experts for seamless prosecution, oppositions and enforcement advice across the telecoms, electronics and life sciences industries. The team excels in cross-border disputes before national courts and the UPC, offering strategic advice on standard-essential patents and fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory licensing terms. The team is co-led by Abdelaziz Khatab, a veteran in high-stakes validity and infringement actions, Sarah Bailey, and digital innovations specialist Georgie Courtois, who joined from De Gaulle Fleurance & Associés in June 2025.Mickaël Da Costa departed in May 2025.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Accolades
Client satisfaction: Lawyer & team quality
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- ‘Simmons & Simmons stands out for combining deep technical expertise with a strategic business perspective. Its patent team includes professionals with multidisciplinary backgrounds, allowing precise and commercially focused solutions across diverse technologies.'
- ‘The professionals at Simmons & Simmons stand out for their technical depth, strategic thinking, and genuine commitment to client success. They combine precision in patent prosecution with a practical understanding of business and innovation needs.'
- 'Abdelaziz Khatab deserves special recognition for his exceptional dedication and expertise, particularly in handling the restoration of an important patent for one of our clients. His proactive approach, attention to procedural detail, and clear communication were instrumental in achieving a successful outcome. Overall, the team’s professionalism, reliability, and collaborative spirit make them a trusted and valued partner in all IP matters.’
- ‘We were very satisfied with the service provided.’
- ‘Our lawyer was Abdelaziz Khatab. He was very available and attentive to the issues related to the research area covered by the patent. The discussions were always interesting and very constructive in finding solutions.’
- ‘Attentive, available, highly skilled in her areas of expertise and proactive in finding the right solutions.’
Key clients
- Thales
- Cooper Consumer Health
- Network System Technologies
- Tarkett
- Stryker
- Sibionics
- Samsung Bioepis
- Xiaomi
- Honeywell
- Servier
- Nanjing Kangni Mechanical & Electronical co. Ltd
- Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering
Work highlights
Representing Samsung Bioepis in a revocation action, part of a pan-European dispute, against Alexion to clear the way for Samsung Bioepis’ launch of its skinny-label biosimilar eculizumab product, a counterpart to Alexion’s blockbuster drug Soliris.
Representing Thales DIS, a French subsidiary of the Thales Group, which operates in the defence, aerospace, cyber, and digital sectors, in a patent dispute against Okta, a competitor in the field of internet security and identification technologies, concerning secure communications over the internet (Multi Factor Authentication).
Representing Trasis, a player in the radiopharmaceutical industry, in a patent dispute against Out and Out Chemistry concerning a method for performing a series of synthesis processes to prepare radiopharmaceuticals, as well as a device and cassette designed for this method.
Practice head
Abdelaziz Khatab; Sarah Bailey; Georgie Courtois