Michelmores LLP

Commercial and Regulatory Disputes - Commercial Litigation

I am a Partner in Michelmores’ Commercial & Regulatory Disputes team, focusing on intellectual property and other complex disputes, with particular emphasis on cross-border, technology, and finance matters. I am dual qualified as an English barrister and a California attorney. I have litigated and advised in many major IP matters (including patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret cases), along with a number of important contract disputes in software and other technology and finance industries. I have taken key matters to trial and arbitration both in England and the United States, winning a number of important and valuable decisions.

Before joining Michelmores, I led the European Intellectual Property Disputes team at Latham & Watkins, London, and spent time in-house at JP Morgan. Previously, I worked for eight years with Latham in Los Angeles, litigating for a number of the world’s leading technology firms.

I am also the 19th Earl of Devon, and in 2018, I was elected to the House of Lords as a Crossbench Hereditary Peer, where I champion the interests of Devon and speak on Technology, Heritage, Agriculture, and the Environment. I am a member of the Intellectual Property All Party Parliamentary Group as well as the AI APPG. I chair conferences on technology and AI-related matters for the Westminster Forum and am also a board member of the British American Parliamentary Group. My legislative work is unrelated to my legal practice.

Independent of my role at Michelmores, I am also the owner and steward of the Powderham Estate, near Exeter. Powderham is a mixed estate combining arable, pasture, forestry, and foreshore, and is centred on the ancient Courtenay family home of Powderham Castle.

Expertise Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning Commercial Commercial & Regulatory Disputes Intellectual Property International International Private Wealth Natural Capital Natural Capital for Development Natural Capital for Funders & Investors Natural Capital for Land Managers Natural Capital for Local & Central Government Private Wealth Sustainable Economy Technology & Innovation

Charles Courtenay - Partner - Commercial & Regulatory Disputes | Michelmores