Michael Tappin KC
8 New SquareThe members at 8 New Square are highly experienced in representing clients in all levels of court across the entire remit of IP-related cases, including those surrounding patents, copyrights, and trade marks. Among its strong bench of silks sits Michael Tappin KC, who has appeared before the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal, and he is representing one of the claimants in BioNTech and Pfizer v Moderna and CureVac, which concerns a claim for the revocation of patents and counterclaims regarding the alleged infringement of patents regarding Covid-19 vaccinations. Andrew Lykiardopoulos KC is a notable name in the patents and copyright space, while Charlotte May KC acted for the claimant in a telecommunications patent infringement case which also questioned the validity of the patent involved (Phillips v OPPO). The set is also home to Martin Howe KC, who is especially skilled in cases regarding complex technology, including broadcasting and telecommunications-related technology, as well as biotech and pharmaceuticals, and James Abrahams KC, who is sought after for his expertise in high-tech patent litigation, often surrounding engineering and medical devices. Lindsay Lane KC is another key name at the set with significant experience in the entire range of IP matters, including patents, trade marks, copyrights, and database and design rights, as well as the tort of passing off.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Ben Newham is excellent and practicable.'
- 'Nicholas Wise is friendly and helpful, as is Philip Taylor.'
- 'Excellent team of clerks who are attentive and sympathetic.'
- 'Best IP set with a great range of IP seniors, juniors and KCs.'
- 'Top set with a great variety of talented barristers.'
Silks
Leading Silks
KCs at the very top of their field, with a long-established record of market-defining cases, and widespread endorsement from clients and peers. All silks appointed in the last two rounds are listed further below.
Daniel Alexander KC
8 New Square
Adrian Speck KC
8 New Square
Andrew Lykiardopoulos KC
8 New Square ‘Andrew is one of the best KCs for patent matters in London. He is a very strong advocate and very skilled at identifying the key aspects of a case to focus on, and he is also an excellent team player, working extremely well with the solicitors on the case and quickly building a strong rapport with clients.'
Charlotte May KC
8 New Square ‘Charlotte's real strengths are her inclusive, pragmatic approach with a focus on key issues. When working with her, she is very much part of the entire team which she cares about, including juniors in solicitor team, and consequently, she is able to quickly galvanise a team and direct their focus to dealing with the critical issues efficiently.'
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Justin Turner KC
8 New Square
James St Ville KC
8 New Square ‘James has a great willingness to help an interest in the case and clients' needs. He is very personable, very thorough, and very successful in his cases.’
Mark Chacksfield KC
8 New Square 'Mark really gets on top of the underlying technical issues and the evidence, but can zoom out to the big picture. Very persuasive in court, has a good manner in court, and he is not afraid to advance difficult propositions.'
Juniors
Leading Juniors
Leading juniors are those with significant experience of key cases, strong market recognition from both peers and clients, and are seen as future candidates for silk.
James Whyte
8 New Square 'There is no hesitation in recommending James to clients. He is thorough and detailed in his advice, he is a pleasure to work with, and he maintains a calm demeanour, even in the most stressful of times.'
Jaani Riordan
8 New Square ‘Jaani is a star of the junior IP Bar. He is forensic, committed, hard working and smart, and he is on top of the legal issues across the board.’
Isabel Jamal
8 New Square ‘Isabel integrates seamlessly into the broader legal team. She provides well-thought-through, pragmatic advice on the strengths and weaknesses of the case and the associated strategic decisions regarding its presentation, and she is excellent at seeing how the various parts of the case interact with each other and charting persuasive arguments that avoid any landmines.’
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William Duncan
8 New Square3
Ashton Chantrielle
8 New Square ‘Ashton's career is progressing extremely well. Her written work is top-shelf, she is excellent before the court, and she is client-friendly.'
Jonathan Hill
8 New Square ‘Jonathan is one of the IP barristers who is equally adept at contractual litigation, so a go-to person for disputes involving a mixture of contractual interpretation and IP. Very user friendly, personable and easy work with.'
Michael Conway
8 New Square 'Michael is very clever, he is a good communicator, and he is easy to get on with. He is particularly good on his feet responding to questions from the judge on the key issues, demonstrating a firm grasp of the issues and a quick mind.'
Beth Collett
8 New Square ‘Beth is sharp with an eye to the wider strategy. Beth is very collaborative, taking on board and enhancing the ideas of others in the team, and she is a forthright advocate who can think on her feet and use both passion and a forensic attention to detail to make her case.’
Thomas Jones
8 New Square ‘Thomas is an excellent junior destined for bigger things. Very impressive on his feet, he gets very involved in the detail and is more accessible than most at the IP Bar.’
Rising stars
Rising stars at the Bar are defined as barristers between four and eight years’ call who are seen as up-and-coming members of the Bar in their respective practice areas by clients and peers alike. They will already be instructed in high-profile, complex, and high-value contentious and non-contentious matters, working with and opposite more experienced leading counsel.
