United Kingdom (England)

Addleshaw Goddard is recognised in the UK market for transactional and soft IP work, with three partners ranked in both areas. Its IP practice is led by Emma Armitage. Co-head of IP Georgina Powling is one of the recommended IP transactional lawyers in the UK. Armitage and Powling are supported by other IP/commercial law partners, including James Whittaker, and a team of associates. The London-headquartered firm expanded in Europe in 2022 by merging with Irish law firm Eugene F Collins and launching new offices in Germany and Luxembourg. Eugene F Collins was previously ranked in IP STARS.

Appleyard Lees is recommended for IP protection and portfolio management. It is one of the traditional patent and trade mark attorney firms in the UK that has a litigation practice. The firm has European patent attorneys in technical fields such as biotechnology, chemistry, and computer technology. The leading patent attorneys include Richard Bray, Dick Waddington, Bobby Smithson, Simon Bradbury, Julia Gwilt, Ean Davies, Barbara Fleck, and David Walsh. Waddington serves as managing partner. Parminder Lally, Chris Mason, and James Myatt are the patent practitioners to watch.

Trade mark prosecution are handled by dual-qualified patent and trade mark attorneys like David Moy, Graham Johnson and Paul Brandon. IP disputes are led by senior lawyers such as Robert Cumming. They are supported by a multidisciplinary team of patent and trade mark attorneys. Chris Hoole is a lawyer to watch. The lawyers also deal with trade mark strategy and prosecution.

Birmingham-based patent and trade mark attorney firm Barker Brettell is recommended for IP protection and portfolio management. The firm has experienced patent attorneys for areas such as mechanical engineering, chemistry, medical devices, computer technology and electronics.

It is led by European patent attorney Andy Tranter, who heads the automotive sector group. John Lawrence, Alan Wilson, Yvonne Johnson, Lucy Trueman, Jennifer Atkinson, Carrie Johnson, and Nicholas Braddon are the key patent contacts. Johnson, who specialises in computer technology work, oversees its designs practice. She was appointed to the firm’s leadership board in 2020. Other notable patent practitioners are Mark Thurston, David Combes, David Pearce, David Harris, Jonathan Myers, Robin Tyson and Neil Kilpatrick.

Catherine Wiseman leads its trade mark practice. She is supported by brands sector leaders Lucy Walker, Tracy Arch and Rosalyn Newsome. The other notable trade mark practitioners are Lisa King, Louis Pittortou, Ian Pearce, and Roseanne Farmer. The firm has a team in Sweden which is led by European trade mark attorney and lawyer Liselott Enström.

Bird & Bird is one of the leading law firms in the UK for contentious and non-contentious IP work. The firm is also recommended in European jurisdictions such as France and Germany, making it one of the most reliable firms for pan-European IP litigation. It has a representative US office in San Francisco, California, which is co-headed by soft IP lawyer Nick Aries.

The firm has specialists for patent disputes in key sectors such as life sciences and technology. Patent litigators Morag Macdonald, Robert Williams, and Katharine Stephens are leaders in the firm’s IP practice. Other key patent lawyers include Patrick Kelleher, Jane Mutimear, Richard Vary, and Mark Hilton.

Its soft IP practice is staffed with experienced lawyers such as Allan Poulter, Peter Brownlow, Mark Holah, and Phil Sherrell. Holah, Poulter, and Brownlow are the key contacts for trade mark protection and disputes. Sherrell is noted for copyright matters. Another notable lawyer is copyright scholar Eleonora Rosati. Generalist IP lawyer Ewan Grist is the key contact for designs. For IP transactions work, clients can rely on lawyers like Sally Shorthose and Tom Snaith.

Blake Morgan's IP practice is led by brand protection specialist Lee Fisher. He is supported by lawyers in the litigation and commercial departments.

Boult Wade Tennant is highly recommended for IP protection and portfolio management. Market commentators respect the firm because of its experienced practitioners as well as its working culture, stability, and business strategy. Electrical engineering patent specialist Alex Frost is the firm’s managing partner. He is supported by senior partner Tony Pluckrose.

The firm has European patent attorneys to advise on inventions and patents in areas such as engineering, life sciences and chemistry. Tessa Bucks, Adrian Hayes, Jonathan Palmer and Nina White are patent practice leaders in the firm. Other notable recommended European patent attorneys include Michelle Pratt, James Legg, Matthew Spencer, Daniel Weston, Simon Kahn, and Rohan Setna. The partners are supported by a team of associates and technical support staff. Edward Ronan, Edward Morse, Phil Merchant and Sarah Le Mesurier are among the patent attorneys to watch.

Rachel Conroy heads up the firm’s trade mark/domain names practice. Trade mark instructions in the practice are led by long-established trade mark attorneys such as Emma Pitcher, Catherine Wolfe, and Felicity Hide. European patent attorney Tony Pluckrose also deals with trade mark work. The partners are supported by experienced junior trade mark attorneys such as Aruna Arunasalam and Donna Trysburg.

In mainland Europe, soft IP lawyer Michael C Maier leads its Berlin office, from which the firm offers its new European trade mark litigation service, and IP lawyer Álvaro Cabeza is in charge of its Madrid office.

Bray & Krais is a boutique law firm that specialises in entertainment and media work. The firm is best known for advising companies and artists in the music industry. The lawyers for disputes are Andrew Forbes and Simon Goodbody, while contractual matters are dealt with by Simon Dixon, Richard Bray and Mark Krais.

Brown Rudnick has an IP practice in London. IP litigator David Knight joined the practice in 2022 following the departure of its key IP team.

Browne Jacobson is a full-service UK law firm with an active IP practice, which is led by Declan Cushley. The firm is recommended for soft IP, especially trade mark-related work. Cushley, who specialises in brand protection and management, is supported by partners such as Mark Daniels and Bonita Trimmer. Daniels handles both patent and soft IP disputes. The firm’s leading lawyers for commercial IP advice are Selina Hinchliffe and Paula Dumbill. Giles Parsons is one to watch.

IP boutique Carpmaels & Ransford is among the elite firms in Europe for patent and SPC protection.  It has European patent attorneys for fields such as chemistry, life sciences, engineering, and tech. The firm is also recommended for trade mark protection and IP disputes.

Life sciences specialist Hugh Goodfellow is the managing partner. Other notable senior European patent attorneys in the firm include Edward Oates, Harvey Adams, Gary Small, Susan Kirsch, Daniel Wise, James Warner, Mark Chapman, Cameron Marshall, and John Brunner.

For patent disputes, the firm has a team of experienced litigators who strategically work alongside the patent attorneys. David Wilson, Camilla Balleny and Ian Kirby are the key senior litigators in the firm’s disputes practice. Wilson heads the disputes practice. Clients in need of IP transactions advice can go to Jake Marshall, who leads the firm’s commercial IP practice.  

Roger Lush heads the trade mark department. Lush is supported by Jonathan Day, who is dual qualified as a solicitor and trade mark attorney.

CMS has one of the largest IP teams in the UK market. The firm has experienced lawyers for all areas of IP work and a strong team of patent attorneys for patent office proceedings and litigation support.

Collyer Bristow's IP team is led by IP Star Patrick Wheeler. He is supported by a team of associates and commercial law partner Charles Braithwaite.

D Young & Co is one of the leading UK firms for IP filing/prosecution, office proceedings and portfolio management work. In patents, the firm is particularly respected by rivals for its technical expertise in life sciences, electronics, and engineering. The experienced European patent attorneys in the firm include Anthony Albutt, David Alcock, Jonathan Jackson, Jonathan DeVile, Simon O'Brien, Garreth Duncan and Kirk Gallagher. Albutt and Gallagher are among the patent attorneys with litigation qualification. Other notable practitioners are Robbie Berryman, Rachel Bateman, and Alan Boyd.

For trade mark protection, clients have experienced trade mark attorneys such as Gemma Kirkland and Richard Burton. 

As one of the pioneers of a one-stop shop for IP services, the firm has maintained its legal practice with a team of lawyers including soft IP litigators Tamsin Holman, Matthew Dick, and Anna Reid. They are supported by a team of associates and former partners Richard Willoughby and Ian Starr, both of whom now serve as consultants.

The firm also has a team in Munich, Germany, led by European patent attorney Hanns-Juergen Grosse and soft IP lawyer Jana Bogatz.

UK IP firm EIP is recommended for patent prosecution and litigation. The firm’s patent litigation activities in the UK have cemented its reputation as one of the best firms for electronics patent work. Patent litigation supremo Gary Moss now serves as the firm's Chairman while litigation partners Andrew Sharples and Robert Lundie Smith co-lead the UK litigation practice. Sharples, who is dual qualified as a patent attorney and solicitor, and Lundie Smith are supported by Kathleen Fox Murphy, Tom Brazier and a team of junior lawyers.

The firm has also expanded its footprint, with offices in the United States, Sweden and Germany. Patent litigator Christof Höhne heads up its German office while entertainment lawyer Leigh Augustine leads the US office. In 2021, the firm hired former AWA CEO and lawyer Magnus Hallin to serve as its CEO and partnered with the brands law firm Stobbs to handle its European trade mark work. The firm launched in Sweden in September 2022 and, in November 2022, unveiled its UPC legal practice known as EIP Amar, a partnership with French IP firm Amar Goussu Staub.

In addition to its hi-tech patent expertise, the firm has experienced European patent attorneys for engineering, biotechnology, and chemistry work. The notable senior patent attorneys are Paula Flutter, Colin Lobban, Jerome Spaargaren, Matt Lawman, Heather McCann, Richard Gordon-Brown, Darren Smyth, and Gareth Probert. The patent practitioners in the firm are supported by patent law scholar Derk Visser, a leading authority on the European Patent Convention. Mark Lubbock is the IP transactions specialist in the firm.

Evolve Intellectual Property was established in 2021 by European patent attorney Steven Gurney. The firm specialises in pharmaceutical patent work. Gurney previously worked for well-known IP firms and gained in-house experience with Mylan.

Fieldfisher is best known for its soft IP practice. The firm is recommended for trade mark protection and disputes work as well as copyright and IP transactions advice. Hastings Guise, who now leads the firm's IP practice, is supported by brand protection specialists such as Harriet Seymour. The notable lawyers for soft IP disputes are John Linneker, Nick Rose and James Seadon.

The firm has experienced lawyers in other departments, such as media and technology, who can advise on copyright and related rights matters. Stephen Saltzman leads its media sector practice. Gordon Drakes and David Bond are key lawyers for IP-related transactions work, especially franchising.

US-headquartered IP firm Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garret & Dunner has a European patent practice, with teams in the UK and Germany. Maeve O’Flynn is one of the key European patent attorneys in its London office. The firm also has a trade mark practice in London led by Clare A Cornell. The partners are supported by a team of associates and technical specialists.

Gill Jennings & Every has maintained its reputation as one of the leading UK IP firms for patent prosecution and portfolio management work. It acquired patent attorney firm Beresford Crump in March 2019, a move which expanded its practice. The firm covers a range of technical fields including biotechnology, computer technology, chemistry, and engineering.

The notable senior European patent attorneys are Lucy Samuels, John Fisher, Peter Arrowsmith, Arnie Clarke, Michael Lord, John Jappy and Stephen Haley. Lord and Haley also serve as managing partners. Samuels, who is now a patents director, and Clarke are highly recommended for EPO proceedings. Other notable patent attorneys are Heather Scott and Matthew Hoyles. Hoyles also holds a UK Higher Courts litigation certificate. The patent partners are supported by a team of associates and technical assistants.

The firm is also recommended for trade marks. Head of trade marks Alasdair MacQuarrie and Edward Carstairs are the key contacts for trade mark instructions. They are supported by a team of associates and paralegals. To supplement its traditional IP protection services, the firm offers consulting services through ConsultIP.

Gowling WLG is highly recommended for IP disputes and transactions in the UK. The firm has patent litigators with expertise in hi-tech and life sciences. It is among the few law firms with a notable design litigation practice. Patrick Duxbury, John Coldham, Alexandra Brodie, Huw Evans, and Kate Swaine are the leaders its IP practice. Toronto-based trade mark lawyer Shelagh Carnegie and Swaine lead the firm’s global IP practice. 

Coldham and Swaine are the key contacts for trade mark and designs. Harris, Brodie, and Evans specialise in patent litigation. Other notable senior patent litigators in the firm are Paul Inman, Matt Hervey, Luke Kempton, and Jamie Rowlands. Hervey is a specialist on AI and IP matters.  Duxbury is rated as one of the pre-eminent transactional IP lawyers in the UK and life sciences companies come to him because of his savvy commercial IP advice. Kempton is also recommended for IP transactions work. 

The partners are supported by a team of associates and senior lawyers such as Nick Cunningham and Jenny Davies. This year's practitioners to watch are Inga-Marlene Pietsch, Mathilda Davidson, Christopher Freeth and Michael Carter. Davidson is noted for her IP transactions practice while Pietsch, Freeth and Carter specialise in litigation.

Greaves Brewster is an agile, modern IP firm for patent protection work. The firm has experienced patent attorneys for technical fields such as chemistry, medical devices, and biotechnology. Some of its patent attorneys have in-house experience. Patent attorneys Jakob Bumke, Rachel Wallis, and David Spinner are leaders in the firm. The partners are supported by directors, associates and paralegals. Corinna Hiscox is a key trade mark attorney in the firm.

International law firm Herbert Smith Freehills is well-regarded in pharmaceutical and biotechnology patent litigation in the UK. Laura Orlando and Sydney-based litigator Rebekah Gay oversee the firm’s global IP practice. Sebastian Moore, who splits his time between London and Milan, leads its UK IP practice. Other notable litigation partners in the UK are Andrew Moir and Jonathan Turnbull. Moir also has a practice in IT/cybersecurity. They are supported by former partner and IP leader Sophie Rich, senior lawyers such as Laura Deacon and a team of associates. Deacon specialises in IP transactions work.

HGF maintains its position in the UK market as one of the leading firms for IP protection and portfolio management. The firm continues to expand in Europe: it opened new offices in Ireland and France and merged with Patronus IP in 2019. The senior leaders in the firm are Martyn Fish, who acts as CEO, and Lucy Johnson, who serves as the chairman. 

In the UK, most of the firm’s IP practitioners are based in England. It has a large team of patent attorneys covering a range of technical fields including engineering, chemistry, life sciences and electronics. The patent practice leaders are Christopher Benson, Kate Taylor, Andrew Wells and Chris Moore. Other notable senior European patent attorneys in the firm are Hsu Min Chung, Vanessa Stainthorpe, Jennifer Uno, Harry Hutchinson, and Richard Jenkins.

Its trade mark practice is led by David Potter. Stephanie Loeffler-Reading, Jonathan Thurgood, Jason Lumber, Geoffrey Smith and Lee Curtis are among the experienced trade mark attorneys at the firm. The firm also offers dispute resolution and commercial IP services through its sister law firm HGF Law, which is led by the experienced IP litigator Rachel Fetches. Other notable lawyers in the legal practice are Paul Sanderson, Janet Knowles, and Marie McMorrow. Knowles specialises in IP transactions. Fish and Lumber are qualified solicitors.

Scotland

Chemistry specialist Gary Wilson oversees the firm’s operations in Scotland, where he is supported by sector practice leaders Jamie Thomson, Craig Watson, and Susan Keston. Other notable senior attorneys are life sciences specialists Douglas Drysdale and Craig Thomson. Patent and trade mark attorney Neil McKechnie, who serves as a consultant, looks after its trade mark practice in Scotland. Caroline Pigott is a key trade mark attorney in the practice.

German IP firm Hoffmann Eitle is highly respected across Europe for patent drafting, prosecution and office proceedings. Biotechnology patent attorney David Miller joined the firm's London office in January 2023. Miller's arrival from Mathys & Squire strengthened the firm's UK practice, which now has more than 10 patent attorneys with expertise across fields like engineering and biotechnology. Pharmaceuticals specialist Toby Simpson also joined from Mathys & Squire in 2020.

J A Kemp is a long-established patent and trade mark attorney firm that is highly recommended for IP protection and portfolio management. The firm has an excellent reputation in chemistry, life sciences and engineering. Its European patent attorneys are respected for their drafting and the results they achieve for clients in office proceedings.

The patent leaders in the firm are Patrick Campbell, Samuel Smith, Amanda Simons, Nigel Price, Ravi Srinivasan, Mark Roberts, and John Leeming. Other notable patent attorneys are Ian MacLeod, Colin Merryweather, Sarah Roques, Henry Hunt-Grubbe, and Stephen Hodsdon. The senior practitioners are supported by a team of associates, trainees, and support staff.

The firm still has a dispute resolution practice staffed with lawyers and several patent attorneys with court litigation qualification. Aaron Newell and James Fish are the key lawyers in the firm. Fish also heads up its trade mark practice. Other key trade mark attorneys in the practice area Tom Albertini, Ben Mooneapillay and Charlotte Stirling. Albertini leads the designs practice.

Kilburn & Strode is a top-tier patent and trade mark attorney firm. Unlike some of its rivals, the firm remains dedicated to the business of IP protection and portfolio management. The firm has expanded its team in the Netherlands and the liaison office in California, United States.

Its patent attorneys are respected for their drafting work and skill in IP office proceedings. The firm's technical coverage is broad, but market commentators pick out electronics, life sciences, chemistry, and engineering as strong practice areas.

Managing partner Richard Howson and chairman Gwilym Roberts lead the firm. The experienced senior European patent attorneys in the firm include Nick Bassil, Elizabeth Crooks, Gareth Fennell, Nick Shipp, Robin Lloyd and Jim Miller.

Rowena Tolley, Ryan Pixton and Iain Stewart are the key contacts in the firm’s trade mark practice in the UK. Another notable senior practitioner in the practice is Carrollanne Lindley, who now serves as a consultant. Claudia Festen leads its trade mark practice in the Netherlands.

Lane IP was acquired by Abion in 2024. Prior to this, the firm was led by Steve Lane, who is dual qualified as a lawyer and trade mark attorney, and trade mark attorney Natalie Clare. The firm was known for trade mark protection work.

International IP firm Marks & Clerk needs no introduction in the field of IP filing and portfolio management. It has a large team of patent and trade mark attorneys across England and Scotland. The firm offers dispute resolution and commercial IP services through its sister law firm Marks & Clerk Law. Robin Oxley and Simon Mounteney are the top leaders in the firm. Oxley serves as the firm’s chairman while Mounteney is the managing partner for Europe. Another notable leader in the firm is physics specialist Daniel Talbot-Ponsonby, who leads the Oxford office.

The firm has a large team of patent practitioners across the UK in several technical fields. David Robinson, Will Nieuwenhuys, Thomas Prock, Jonathan Stafford, Sheila Wallace, Mark Kenrick and Philip Cupitt are among the key senior European patent attorneys in England. Kenrick is also qualified to conduct court litigation. Tim Hargreaves, Andy Docherty, and Richard Gibbs lead its Scottish operations. Other notable patent attorneys in Scotland are Graham McGlashan and David Murray.

Birmingham-based trade mark attorney Esther Gottschalk heads its trade marks filing and prosecution practice. Some of its key trade mark attorneys in England are Gareth Jenkins, Alison Melling, Michael Shaw and John Ferdinand. Janice Morrison is a key trade mark attorney in Scotland.

Kirsten Gilbert and Hannah Finster are the key soft IP lawyers in its law firm. The leading patent litigators are Mike Gilbert, Dafydd Bevan, and Charlie Balme. Balme and Bevan also deal with soft IP disputes. Simon Portman is a transactional specialist in the firm. 

Mathys & Squire is a well-established UK IP firm for IP protection and portfolio management. The firm is experienced in advising on IP issues in sectors such as pharmaceutical, biotechnology, IT and engineering. It has evolved over the years, putting together a team for IP disputes and opening offices in other European jurisdictions such as France and Germany. The firm also offers IP commercialisation advice thanks to its acquisition of Coller IP in 2017.

Its key European patent attorneys are Jane Clark, Alan MacDougall, Hazel Ford, Martin MacLean, Paul Cozens, and Christopher Hamer. MacDougall heads the firm’s Cambridge office while Cozens and Hamer have court litigation qualifications.

The firm’s trade mark practice is led by Helen Cawley, who is supported by senior trade mark practitioners such as Margaret Arnott and Gary Johnston. Arnott is also qualified as a solicitor and leads the firm’s litigation practice. Johnston heads the firm’s Manchester office. Rebecca Tew, who heads the firm’s Midlands office, is another notable trade mark attorney in the firm.

In 2016, UK IP firm RGC Jenkins & Co merged with German IP firm Maucher Börjes to form Maucher Jenkins. The firm also has offices in Switzerland and China. It is recommended for IP protection and portfolio management work, with strong expertise in telecommunications, computer technology, life sciences and engineering.

The key European patent attorneys in the firm include James Cross, Felix Rummler, Philip Treeby, Alvin Lam, Holly Whitlock, Hugh Dunlop, and Reuben Jacob. Cross and Treeby are also qualified to conduct court litigation. Rummler leads the firm’s Munich office. European patent attorney and designs law specialist David Musker is still with the firm as a consultant.

The leading practitioners in its trade mark practice are Katie Cameron and Angela Fox. Cameron is a trade mark attorney with litigation qualification while Fox is dual-qualified as a solicitor and trade mark attorney. Fox oversees the disputes practice. The firm’s trade mark partners are supported by a team of junior practitioners and colleagues in Germany.

Mewburn Ellis is highly recommended for patent protection and portfolio management work, especially in life sciences and chemistry. The firm also has expertise in ICT and engineering. Biotechnology patent specialist Richard Clegg is the firm’s managing partner. The other leaders in the firm are Richard Johnson, Sean Jauss, Andy King,  Jeremy Webster, Graeme Moore, and Simon Kiddle.

The experienced European patent attorneys in the firm include Emily Hayes, Matthew Naylor, Nick Sutcliffe, Chris Denison, Stephen Gill, Simon Parry, and Robert Watson. Some of the patent attorneys, for example Sutcliffe and Naylor, are also qualified to conduct court litigation. Parry also deals with design protection work.

In 2023, Andy King took over from Kate O’Rourke as head of trade marks. O’Rourke, who is dual qualified as a trade mark attorney and solicitor, now serves as a consultant. Solicitor Jauss is in charge of its legal services practice. Jauss deals with soft IP disputes and IP transactions. Other notable senior trade mark practitioners include Edmund Harrison.

Mishcon de Reya is recommended for IP disputes and trade mark protection work. It also has a team that deals with IP licensing work. In 2018, the firm launched MDR Brand Management, a service that supports brand owners on a range of issues in the global marketplace, and entered into a strategic partnership with brand consultancy ZAG. Its practice further expanded in 2023 following the merger with Taylor Vinters Via.

The firm's IP department is led by IP star Jeremy Herzog, who specialises in IP disputes. Patent litigation is handled by Campbell Forsyth and David Rose, an all-round IP litigator who leads IP disputes in the firm. Sally Britton is the key contact for trade mark instructions while Lewis Cohen is the IP transactions star in the department.

Morrison Foerster has a team of IP lawyers in London led by Steven James, who joined as a partner in the firm’s litigation department in 2022. James specialises in IP disputes. He is supported by Alistair Maughan, a partner who deals with tech/IP transactions, and a team of junior practitioners including Ruth Arkley and 2022 Rising Star Hattie Chessher.

International IP firm Murgitroyd is recommended for IP protection and portfolio management. The firm was previously owned by Murgitroyd Group PLC, a de-listed company which was acquired in December 2019 by private equity company Sovereign Capital Partners. Murgitroyd has expanded its market share in Europe by acquiring firms such as UDL Intellectual Property in the UK and Hanna Moore + Curley in Ireland.

Osborne Clarke is a full-service law firm with a growing IP practice in the UK. The firm's reputation in the market has gone beyond soft IP and transactions -  it is now recognised for patent disputes in the life sciences and technology sectors.

IP Star Arty Rajendra is the head of IP disputes. Rajendra, who deals with both trade mark and patent disputes, is supported by other practice leaders like Tim Harris and Will James, both of whom specialise in life sciences patent litigation. 

Richard May and Robert Guthrie are among the experienced partners in the firm for trade mark protection and disputes work. Other notable senior lawyers for IP disputes is Trevor Crosse and commercial disputes specialist Clare Robinson. Media and entertainment lawyers such as Tom Harding and John Davidson-Kelly can advise on digital technology matters. Tamara Quinn is a key partner for IP transactions. The partners are supported by a team of directors and associates in the IP department.

Penningtons Manches Cooper has an IP practice which is led by Anna Frankum. The firm is known for dealing with trade mark and commercial IP work. Frankum is supported by a number of partners including trade mark lawyers Daniel Berry and Gavin Stenton. The transactional IP leaders in the practice are Lisa Page and Chris Shelley. 

Pinsent Masons is recommended for contentious and non-contentious IP work in the UK. It is best known in the market for its IP work, especially patent and SPC litigation, in the pharmaceutical and life sciences sector.

Clare Tunstall leads the firm's IP practice. In patent disputes in England, Tunstall is supported by partners Charlotte Weekes, Christopher Sharp, David Lancaster, Gareth Morgan, and Catherine Drew. The partners are supported by junior lawyers such as Mario Subramaniam, Tamsin Cornwell and Tracey Roberts. Tom Nener and Jules Fabre are practitioners to watch.

Brands protection specialist Florian Traub is in charge of the firm's trade mark practice. For IP-related transactions, it has lawyers such as Samantha Livesey, IP transactions practice head Allistair Booth and non-contentious practice head Cerys Wyn Davies. Emily Swithenbank is a junior soft IP lawyer to watch.

Potter Clarkson is renowned for life sciences patent work in the patent office, but it also covers other technical fields such as chemistry, mechanics, and computer technology. The firm has made significant progress in its European expansion strategy, with new offices in Denmark and Sweden. The firm’s Copenhagen office is headed by Benjamin Hoffmann while Simon Curtis oversees the Stockholm office. In 2019, biotech patent attorney Stephen Smith took over from chemistry specialist Colin Baker as managing partner.

The firm strengthened its trade marks practice in 2018 by acquiring the London-based IP firm Wildbore & Gibbons, a move which increased the number of IP Stars and trade mark practitioners in the firm. Its dispute resolution and commercial team, established in 2016, has been involved in interesting IP disputes. The notable senior lawyers in the practice are Mark Kramer, Mark Snelgrove, Nick McDonald, Richard Roberts, and Oliver Laing. Kramer leads the firm's litigation and licensing practice in London. Snelgrove specialises in commercial IP.

UK IP litigation boutique Powell Gilbert has featured in some of the most legally and technically complex patent disputes in the English courts in recent years. This stable firm is highly recommended for patent disputes, especially in the life sciences and pharmaceutical sectors.

Patent Stars such as Zoë Butler, Penny Gilbert, Simon Ayrton, and Tim Powell lead patent dispute instructions in the firm. Other notable practitioners include Peter Damerell, Bethan Hopewell, Siddharth Kusumakar, Ari Laakkonen, Tim Whitfield, and Alex Wilson. 

RPC is a full-service law firm with an IP practice that is well-known for its soft IP work, particularly in the retail, sports, fashion, media, technology, and food and drink sectors. The firm handles both contentious and non-contentious IP work .

The key contacts at the firm are IP Stars Jeremy Drew, Matthew Jones, David Cran, Ciara Cullen, and Paul Joseph. The partners are supported by Rising Stars such as Sarah Mountain and Samuel Coppard. The firm hired Jones to build a patent litigation practice.

UK boutique firm Simkins is recommended for copyright disputes and commercial IP work in the creative industries. The firm can also advise on brand protection and disputes. The key contacts for soft IP disputes are Jim Dennis and Paddy Gardiner. The experienced transactional lawyers in the firm include Jonathan Blair, Ben Gisbey, Ed Weidman, and Stuart Smith. The partners are supported by a team of associates. 

Simmons & Simmons is a full-service international firm with a UK IP team that can advise on IP disputes, protection and transactional matters. It is one of a handful of law firms in the UK that has patent attorneys. IP transactions specialist Michael Gavey heads the firm’s IP practice.

The most senior patent litigators in the practice are Michael Burdon, Kevin Mooney and Scott Parker. Other notable IP litigators are Andrew Hutchinson and Priya Nagpal. Kevin Cordina is the key contact for the firm’s patent prosecution work. The partners are supported by a team of junior lawyers, notably Amy Crouch (for litigation) and Lydia Torne (for transactional work). 

Adrian Smith and Darren Meale are the key contacts for soft IP work, particularly trade marks. Another notable practitioner for trade mark work is Rebecca Heard, who is a qualified trade mark attorney. Angus McLean, who heads the FinTech group, is also recommended for IP transactions.

Stephenson Harwood is recommended for soft IP disputes and commercialisation work. Alexandra Pygall now heads the firm’s IP practice following Eifion Morris’ promotion to CEO. Pygall is supported by partners Rob Jacob and Naomi Leach. Anne Stoffels is among the junior practitioners to watch.

Venner Shipley is highly recommended for IP protection and management work. The firm has a broad range of clients and specialist patent teams for technical fields such as electronics, software, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology. The firm’s practice, especially for trade marks, expanded in late 2020 thanks to the merger with UK IP firm Brookes IP.

In 2024, life sciences leader Siân Gill took over from electronics and software specialist Pawel Piotrowicz as the firm’s managing partner. The firm hired Simon Pettinati in June 2022 to serve as its Chief Operating Officer. Former managing partner Jan Walaski is the leader of the electronics and engineering practice. Allie Elend is another leader in the chemical and life sciences department.

Ian Grey heads the mechanical engineering department, working alongside Alex Brown, who is the go-to person for design rights. Other notable patent attorneys are Kirsty Dolphin, Paul Derry, Simon Taor, Jonathan Hewett,Anton Hutter and Richard Kennedy. Taor is leading the firm’s SEP practice. Matthew Handley is a patent attorney to watch.

The trade mark practice is led by Clare Turnbull, with support from trade mark attorneys such as David Birchall and Jane Martin. Birchall is a non-practising solicitor.

Boutique firm Wiggin is highly recommended for contentious and non-contentious soft IP matters, particularly copyright and trade mark work. IP Star Sara Ashby now leads the firm's IP practice. The key soft IP litigators in the firm are Rachel Alexander, John Colbourn and Michael Browne. Alexander specialises in copyright work. Another copyright specialist in the firm is Ted Shapiro, who heads the firm’s Brussels office. Ashby leads on patent instructions. Another notable lawyer in the practice is former in-house IP counsel Calum Smyth, who understands innovation and IP protection in the the financial sector. In November 2020, the firm strengthened its TMT offering by acquiring entertainment boutique Purewal & Partners and launching a new telecoms practice.

The firm is also recommended for IP transactions work. Alexander Ross and Charles Moore are recommended for IP-related transactions in the entertainment and media sector.