Shoosmiths LLP

Commercial , Dispute resolution & litigation , Intellectual property

Graham is a leading patent litigator, recognised by major legal directories, with over 25 years of experience. He is ‘noted for his ability to handle highly technical mandates’ and loves his work at the interface of technology and the law. He is adept at rapidly assimilating new scientific and technological developments and providing legal advice in a clear and straightforward manner. Whilst in the majority of cases a dispute will be resolved without recourse to the courts, should legal proceedings be necessary Graham ensures that the case is prepared thoroughly but efficiently for trial and always with the determination to secure a successful outcome.

Graham ‘has a highly diverse offering’ and his clients operate in all areas of technology, with a strong track record in pharmaceuticals, biotech and medical devices and other fields such as electronics, telecommunications and engineering. Graham studied chemistry before becoming a lawyer and this scientific background is an asset that he puts to good use when working with clients, their R&D teams, and scientific experts. As well as patent issues, Graham frequently advises on other intellectual property rights such as designs, trade secrets and confidential information, copyright and database rights, and on the strategic use of intellectual property assets to achieve commercial goals.

The disputes Graham advises upon are frequently multi-jurisdictional and Graham has considerable experience of litigation with parallel proceedings running across Europe and in other important jurisdictions worldwide, such as the USA and China, instructing and coordinating with specialist lawyers in each country. Graham is a solicitor advocate and in appropriate cases he appears as junior counsel, working alongside leading counsel.

Examples of Graham’s past cases include:

• Representing a global pharmaceutical company in UK Patents Court proceedings, part of a multinational patent dispute concerning RSV vaccines based on the RSV prefusion F-protein.

• Acting for a major Indian manufacturer of trans-catheter aortic heart valves in a multi-national patent dispute, with parallel EPO opposition proceedings alongside proceedings in multiple European courts, including the Unified Patent Court.

• Conducting UK Patents Court proceedings on behalf of a German client, a leading company in simulation and validation, regarding electronic interfaces used in the testing of electronical control units, in particular in the automotive sector.

• Acting for a multinational biotech company in patent infringement and revocation proceedings concerning the glycosylation profile of antibodies, with parallel proceedings in the UK and Germany.

• A technically extremely complex dispute at first instance and at appeal concerning rights under a drug development contract to a candidate drug for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, including entitlements to milestone payments under the contract.

• Representing a medical device manufacturer in a patent dispute in the UK Patents Court and Court of Appeal relating to atrial septal occluders, with parallel proceedings in Germany that reached the German Supreme Court.

• Acting for a UK telecommunications company in multiple patent infringement and revocation proceedings concerning graphical user interfaces.

Other past cases have concerned matters as diverse as interleukin-23 inhibitors for the treatment of psoriasis, air fryers, wound dressings, cryptography, insulin-like growth factors and potato harvesting equipment. These include cases that have become legal authorities on issues such as priority rights and indirect infringement.

Graham trained and qualified at Lovells (now Hogan Lovells) before joining a specialist intellectual property law firm, where he worked for 20 years, becoming a partner in 2007. He joined Shoosmiths in April 2024. He has been recognised by a number of the leading legal directories, including The Legal 500, IAM Patent 1000, Who’s Who Legal, and is listed as an ‘Patent Star’ by Managing IP.

Graham trained and qualified at Lovells (now Hogan Lovells) before joining a specialist intellectual property law firm, where he worked for 20 years, becoming a partner in 2007. He joined Shoosmiths in April 2024. He has been recognised by a number of the leading legal directories, including The Legal 500, IAM Patent 1000, Who’s Who Legal, and is listed as an ‘Patent Star’ by Managing IP.