Withers & Rogers

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Karl Barnfather

Partner Karl Barnfather is a senior member of the Electronics, Computing & Physics group. He is the immediate past Chair after 9 years in the role.

Russell Barton

Partner Russell Barton is a patent attorney in the Electronics, Computing & Physics group. He specialises in drafting and prosecuting patent applications relating to both physics and computing, with a particular emphasis on software.

Diego Black

Partner Diego Black is a patent attorney in the Electronics, Computing & Physics group. Diego works across a wide range of technologies and specialises in computer implemented inventions. His wider experience covers the automotive industry as well as the design and manufacture of devices and sensors.

Diego Black

Partner Diego Black is a patent attorney in the Electronics, Computing & Physics group. Diego works across a wide range of technologies and specialises in computer implemented inventions. His wider experience covers the automotive industry as well as the design and manufacture of devices and sensors.

Mark Caddle

Partner Mark Caddle is an Attorney in the Trade Mark group. Mark is experienced in global trade mark filing programmes, clearance searches and contentious matters. He routinely advises on and manages trade mark opposition and cancellation proceedings. Mark assists clients in many sectors, including consumer electronics, food and drink, pharmaceuticals and financial services. As well as working with multinational companies, he has particular expertise in advising start-ups and SMEs how best to protect their intellectual property.

Tania Clark

Partner Tania Clark is an attorney in the Trade Mark group. She is also a member of the Designs group. Tania has handled multinational trade mark and design applications and is a keen advocate of the Madrid Protocol and Hague systems. Tania has worked with clients in most sectors and her present portfolio includes companies across a wide range, including finance, online gambling, prepared foods, electronics and prostheses. Tania has strong communication skills and is adept at negotiating settlements of conflicts. She has had considerable experience in managing worldwide filing programmes.

Dave Croston

Partner and head of the Advanced Engineering group Dave Croston is a patent attorney and head of the Advanced Engineering group. He is also co-chair of the Contentious Practice group. Dave acts for clients in a diverse range of technology sectors such as aircraft propulsion, motorsport, homewares, packaging, medical devices and agricultural engineering to name a few. Dave has an active contentious practice, with a track record of cases before the Court of Appeal, the High Court and the Patent County Court (now the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court) as well as in oppositions and appeals at the European Patent Office.

Russell Edson

Partner Russell Edson is a Paris-based patent attorney in the Advanced Engineering group. Russell is a qualified British, French and European Patent Attorney and co-head of the firm's French Office. In addition to his broad experience in private practice dealing with patent and design prosecution and Freedom to Operate (FTO) advice, Russell also gained in-house experience on a year-long part-time secondment to a multinational consumer product company based in Geneva. Russell has particular experience in mechanical technology areas including oil exploration and extraction, medical instruments, automotive, aerospace, packaging and manufacturing technology, as well as computer implemented control systems and graphical user interfaces.

David Elsy

Partner David Elsy is a patent attorney in the Life Sciences & Chemistry group. David specialises in the fields of recombinant DNA technology, molecular biology, drug discovery, microbial and plant biotechnology and healthcare products. David has particular expertise in PCR, diagnostic assays (cancer and pregnancy related assays), biosensors, stents and catheters, cleaning, skin and hand care, polymerisation catalysts and processes and waste processing. His clients include a number of well-known universities, university spin outs, small, medium and large national and international companies.

Paul Foot

Partner Paul Foot is a patent attorney in the Advanced Engineering group. He also heads up the Packaging team. Paul’s practice focuses on the packaging, automotive and construction sectors. He has particular expertise in providing FTO searching and advice in relation to aftermarket products in the automotive sector, and for both patents and designs for products in the packaging sector. Paul’s particular areas of technical expertise include truck driveline and braking systems, construction machinery, modular building systems and paperboard packaging in the food-to-go and beverage markets. Latterly, Paul has assisted a number of clients from SMEs to large corporates in benefiting from Patent Box tax relief by securing early grant of applications with coverage tailored to maximise the corporation tax savings. Paul is a regular speaker at in-house and external seminars in relation to patenting and freedom to operate strategies.

Chris Froud

Partner Chris Froud is a patent attorney in the Electronics, Computing & Physics group. Chris has a wealth of experience in autonomous guided vehicles (AGVs), particularly for industrial applications, and has knowledge of a variety of navigation methods including line-following, laser target navigation, natural feature and vision guidance. Chris has also worked on a range of dynamic positioning and vessel control systems for the offshore marine market, which are used to accurately control the position of vessels during platform supply, crew transfer, and offshore construction. As part of this work, Chris has developed expertise in a range of radar and lidar position reference sensors. He also has expertise in navigation systems, both general satellite navigation as well as navigation systems for driverless cars. Chris has helped to protect robots for use in harsh and restricted environments, such as the nuclear industry. He also has a wealth of experience in industrial control systems and instrumentation, where he has worked with a range of equipment in both industrial and scientific settings while working as a patent attorney and also during his time as a PhD student and research scientist working at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. Overall, Chris has a broad range of interdisciplinary skills covering physics and chemistry, which enables Chris to advise clients who work on the boundary of these disciplines, such as scientific instrument or medical device manufacturers. Much of Chris’ work relates to mobile devices, including displays, antennas, user interfaces, non-volatile memory, batteries and battery charging, and camera technology. In addition, Chris has a wide-range of experience in optics, optical systems and lasers. He also advises clients on the patentability of computer software and business methods, and is successful at manoeuvring clients around the challenges such inventions face in the UK and Europe. Chris works with a wide range of clients, from large corporate clients with substantial patent portfolios to small and medium sized businesses where he works directly with the business leaders to identify, protect and exploit their inventions. He also advises a number of start-up businesses, where the patent strategy Chris has devised has been key to obtaining funding and licensing opportunities to propel these businesses forwards.

Matthew Gillard

Partner Matthew Gillard is a patent attorney in the Electronics, Computing & Physics group. Matthew’s clients include world-leading companies in the telecommunications, electronics and computing sectors and several leading UK universities. Matthew has succeeded in obtaining broad patent protection for highly mathematical, algorithmic inventions on behalf of a range of clients. In one particular hearing, Matthew’s thorough grasp of the mathematical technology at issue enabled him to eliminate objections to the grant of a patent through the unusual step of arguing that an alleged earlier design was inoperative (i.e. by arguing insufficiency).

James Gray

Partner James Gray is patent attorney in the Advanced Engineering group. He also heads up the Medical Technology group. James has worked with businesses and individuals involved in a wide range of innovative technologies. These include petrochemical distribution and handling, motorsport fire safety and suppression, peripheral vascular and neuro vascular medical devices, commercial vehicle air management systems and high speed watercraft. At W&R James works with a range of clients extending from individual inventors, through SMEs to global multinationals. James has had multiple successes for clients before EPO Opposition and Appeal Boards.

Philip Horler

Partner Philip Horler is a patent attorney in the Electronics, Computing & Physics group. Philip specialises in analog and digital electronic circuitry and semiconductor design, fabrication and operation. He also has a wide-range of experience in other technology areas including: telecommunication systems; scientific instruments; automotive engineering and control technologies. Additionally, Philip regularly advises clients on the patentability of software and business methods in the UK and Europe and has significant experience with computer implemented inventions, including encryption and blockchain related technologies.

Michael Jaeger

Partner Michael is a patent attorney in the Electronics, Computing & Physics group. Michael’s patent work has covered the fields of telecoms, telephony, encryption, video transmission, memory devices, display screens, copiers and detectors, as well as mechanical inventions such as FMCG. His clients currently cover the fields of Voice over IP, video transmission, satellite technologies, tracking devices and prosthetics. Michael has worked on a number of cases relating to computer implemented inventions (software) and notably was able to achieve a successful outcome in this area for one of his clients at a UK Patent Office Hearing. Michael has worked for a number of clients who operate within the television domain. His experience covers hardware design, such as plasma and LED screens, as well as video transmission system design. Michael’s practice has encompassed set top box design and manufacture, conditional access systems and content selection and delivery algorithms. He has prosecuted dozens of patent applications in this field and continues to regularly represent clients at oral proceedings before the European Patent Office. He has a keen interest with start-ups and has worked with a number of such companies to secure patent protection for their innovative products. Michael has a great familiarity with the UK’s Patent Box tax incentive scheme and has run seminars and advised many clients in this area. Michael has extensive experience working with direct clients where he has been involved in design, patent and copyright litigation as well as restorations, a central limitation at the European Patent Office and due diligence exercises for complex corporate transactions. Michael heads the firm’s Space group. Michael is a member of the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys’ (CIPA) Professional Development Working Group, which organises educational events for CIPA’s members, and is often found chairing webinars. Michael is also a member of the Licencing Executives Society and the American Intellectual Property Law Association, whose events he regularly attends.

Nicholas Jones

Partner Nicholas Jones is a patent attorney in the Life Sciences & Chemistry group, and leads the Pharmaceutical sector group. Nicholas handles work in the fields of medicinal chemistry and drug design, synthetic organic chemistry, formulation, new medical indications, radiopharmaceuticals, advanced drug delivery, biopharmaceuticals, biosensors, drug delivery devices, coatings, agrochemicals, and chemical processes for the mining industry. He also advises on Supplementary Protection Certificates for medicinal products and plant protection products. Nicholas works with a number of domestic and overseas clients. He has worked for many years with companies in the Takeda Pharmaceutical Group, both in Japan and in Europe. He is a regular visitor to Japan, where he also works with a number of other pharmaceutical and chemical clients, including companies in the Sumitomo Group. He works with the Portuguese pharmaceutical company BIAL – Portela & Ca. SA., the Swedish biosensor manufacturer Attana AB and the Norwegian pharmaceutical company BerGenBio ASA. In the US, he works with Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals and the radiopharmaceuticals producer Curium (Mallinckrodt Nuclear Medicine), as well as a number of companies in the Koch Industries Group. He also works closely with UCL Business Ltd (the technology transfer business of University College London).

Stuart Latham

Partner Stuart Latham is a patent attorney in the Electronics, Computing & Physics group. Stuart has a Mechatronics engineering background and heads up the firm’s Robotics & Autonomous Systems sector group. He is also a prominent member of the Oil & Gas sector group. Stuart’s experience extends to patent drafting and prosecution, invention harvesting, competitor intelligence and advising on patent and design infringement matters. He has experience of dealing with inventions across a broad range of technologies, ranging from high-tech electronics and telecommunications inventions to complex electromechanical and mechanical devices. In particular, Stuart has expertise in the fields of aircraft landing gear, downhole oil & gas technologies, haptic feedback devices, mobile robotics and plasma processing and curing systems. He works with a variety of multinational companies in the aerospace, oil & gas, computing, home appliance and packaging industries. He also works with SMEs, individuals and major UK universities.

Fiona McBride

Partner, Withers & Rogers' Chair and head of the Trade Mark group Fiona is experienced in contentious matters before the UKIPO and is a member of CITMA. Fiona has over 20 years’ experience in trade marks, with particular emphasis and success in contentious matters before the UKIPO. Fiona works with clients in many different business areas, ranging from food and drink, entertainment and leisure to high-end jewellery and fashion houses. Her work is both UK and international.

Gemma McGeough

Partner Partner Gemma McGeough is a patent attorney in the Advanced Engineering group. Gemma works with businesses and individuals to effectively protect inventions across a wide range of technology fields, including packaging, engineering materials, consumer appliances and medical devices. With a background in Chemistry and Mathematics, Gemma has a broad technical knowledge which has enabled her to work in a variety of technical sectors, including those requiring interdisciplinary skills. Gemma advises a diverse range of clients including multinational companies, SMEs, start-ups and universities.

David McWilliams

Partner David McWilliams is a patent attorney in the Advanced Engineering group, and lead partner in the Oil & Gas team. With twenty years of experience in the world of patents, David has worked with a wide range of clients across many traditional engineering disciplines – with a practice focused primarily on his considerable expertise in the Oil & Gas, Construction and Automotive sectors. David is a specialist in most ‘upstream’ Oil & Gas technologies. He proudly manages a team handling a large portfolio of ‘North Sea’ patent applications for a major oilfield service company, including direct filings at the UKIPO and EPO, as well in Norway and Germany. Not surprisingly, David is a regular visitor to the USA, in particular to Texas. David has a real passion for working in Japan. He has been visiting Japan twice a year for over ten years, continues his Japanese lessons whenever possible, and is extremely pleased to represent a leading Japanese multinational engineering, electrical equipment and electronics company. David has in-depth expertise in complex automotive technologies, managing a patent portfolio for a leading developer of clutches, dual clutch transmissions and engines for over ten years. An ex-civil engineer, David also represents many clients in the Housing & Construction industries. He also manages a worldwide portfolio of patents, designs and trade marks for a UK-based food services company. David loves to work closely with his clients, both at management and inventor level. He has considerable expertise in advising senior management on strategic IP issues to benefit business strategy, and is particularly skilled at harvesting valuable invention disclosures from product development teams. A dynamic communicator, David is a skilled adversary at Opposition Proceedings before the EPO. He also has considerable strength and expertise in patent and design right disputes, both as plaintiff and defendant. As a result, David is often called upon to help businesses design around IP rights in competitor products.

Ben Palmer

Partner Ben Palmer is a patent attorney in the Advanced Engineering group. Ben is interested in all aspects of advanced engineering and is experienced in advising clients on a broad range of technology areas, including in the aerospace, automotive, robotics, electric motor, renewable energy, medical equipment, micro valve, oil & gas, and construction equipment sectors. Ben works with a variety of clients from SMEs to multi-national corporations and his practice involves drafting and prosecuting patent applications and advising on commercial issues, such as obtaining the most useful scope of protection and reducing the risk of infringement of competitors’ patent portfolios. He also has a successful track record in defending clients’ patents at appeal proceedings before the European Patent Office.

Christopher Range

Partner Christopher is a patent attorney in the Advanced Engineering group. Christopher handles work in the fields of aerospace, automotive and manufacturing engineering, as well as the medical device sector. Christopher represents a range of clients, from global businesses to SMEs and individuals working in a diverse range of Engineering Technologies. He is a regular visitor to both China and the United States of America, where he has a number of direct clients. Christopher is practiced in drafting and prosecuting patent applications through to grant, managing patent and registered design portfolios that include foreign rights, and advising on freedom to operate, competitor monitoring, and due diligence activities. Christopher also handles contentious issues, advising clients in relation to asserting their IP rights and undertaking licencing negotiations. Christopher also has a special interest in Space Technology, and is a member of the firm’s Space group. He regularly attends industry events and is a member of the Royal Aeronautical Society.

Jim Ribeiro

Partner Jim Ribeiro is a partner in the Electronics, Computing & Physics group. He is also head of the Aerospace and Defence group and the Semiconductor Fabrication Group. Jim has experience in a variety of sectors, including metrology in the semiconductor fabrication industry, wind turbines, electronics, computing, telecommunications, aerospace and defence, medical devices and scientific instruments. Jim has acted for clients in the aircraft, scanning probe microscopy, medical imaging and submersible vehicle sectors. He has advised a variety of clients, ranging from start-ups and universities to larger companies based in Europe, the US and Japan. Notable achievements include a number of successful oppositions, acting both for the opponent and the patent owner. Jim has also assisted in the development of patent portfolios for a number of companies which were subsequently purchased by large corporates on the strength of their patent portfolios. Jim’s breadth of technical experience gives him the ability to deal with a wide range of technologies.

John-Paul Rooney

Partner John-Paul is a patent attorney in the Electronics, Computing & Physics group. He has particular experience and expertise in the electronics and software fields. This includes mobile telecommunications devices, computing devices, signal coding, particularly video coding, autonomous vehicles, Internet of Things, lone worker systems, and instrumentation and measurement devices. He leads Withers & Rogers' China Desk, focussing the firm's relationships with Chinese attorneys and businesses.

Greg Stepney

Partner Greg Stepney is a patent attorney in the Life Sciences & Chemistry group. Greg is interested in all aspects of chemistry and has worked with the full spectrum of chemical inventions over the course of his career. Some of the diverse fields in which he has helped clients include industrial-scale fine chemicals, pharmaceuticals, oil & gas, halocarbons, polymers, food and drink, agriculture, printing methods and inks, nonwoven materials, detergents, photochemistry, materials chemistry and batteries. The majority of Greg’s work is conducted at the European Patent Office, where he has a long and successful track record defending and attacking patents in opposition and opposition-appeal proceedings. Away from the EPO, Greg conducts patent prosecution and portfolio management in upwards of 70 countries, drafts new applications and provides advice relating to patent validity and infringement.

Joanna Thurston

Partner Joanna Thurston is a patent attorney in the Life Sciences & Chemistry group. Joanna is an active member of the Higher Education and Home Care groups, and leads the Clean Technology and Batteries Sector groups. Joanna handles chemical inventions across the entire range of this field from biochemistry to physical chemistry. She has particular expertise in the areas of clean technology (in particular where it utilises electrochemistry), nanomaterials, textiles and in formulation chemistry. Joanna advises clients of all sizes, and specialises in the provision of advice to the clean technology sector and to the chemical industry. Joanna has worked with some of the world’s largest FMCG companies, handling work in the food and personal care sectors. In addition, Joanna works with clients who are innovating in the areas of textiles, battery materials, fuel cells, photovoltaics, non-woven materials including paper and board, petrochemicals, display technologies, recycling, print, paint and coating technology and nanotechnology among others. Joanna is an active member of the Higher Education team, having experience in a university technology transfer team, she works with many UK and US universities and spin out companies and is a regular attendee at AUTM and Praxis Auril events.

Nick Wallin

Partner and head of the Electronics, Computing & Physics group Nick Wallin is the lead partner in the Electronics, Computing & Physics group, the largest practice group in the firm. He is also an experienced patent litigator who has handled cases before the UK Court of Appeal and High Court, and the EPO Boards of Appeal. Nick works for a wide range of clients, in fields ranging from geospatial data processing to electro-surgical instruments and medical imaging, through to sensors for defence purposes and the oil and gas industry.

Callum Wardle

Partner Callum Wardle is a partner in the Electronics, Computing & Physics group. Callum’s technological specialism is in electronics, though his broader engineering experience has enabled him to work in other related fields, most notably aerospace components and systems. Callum’s wide ranging technological and engineering interests have equipped him with the ability to appreciate quickly the fundamental concepts behind new inventions. An easy going nature and common sense approach helps Callum quickly form a strong rapport with his clients.

Justin Wilson

Partner Justin Wilson is a patent attorney in the Life Sciences & Chemistry group. Justin primarily works on drafting and prosecuting patent applications in the UK, Europe and around the world, and devising appropriate patenting strategies to protect his clients’ technologies to the greatest extent possible. He has also handled a number of oppositions and appeals before the European Patent Office and has been involved in several due diligence projects, including in relation to stock market listings and potential acquisitions. Justin has particular expertise in gene and cell therapies and as a result heads up Withers & Rogers’ cell & gene therapy specialist practice group. More broadly, Justin also has experience across a range of technologies in the life sciences, in particular in biochemistry, immunology and pharmacology. Some of the specific areas he has worked on with clients include: new active pharmaceutical ingredients; formulations of pharmaceuticals; drug delivery systems; screening and diagnostic methods using genetic and/or protein markers; therapeutic antibodies; vaccines; RNA therapeutics; gene therapies; therapeutic T-cells; diagnostic kits; bacteria and methods for genetically engineering bacteria, and biofuels. Justin also has experience in Supplementary Protection Certificates (SPCs). Justin works with a range of different clients so he is comfortable adapting and tailoring his advice to suit their needs. He does work for a number of academic institutions, both in the UK and Europe. He also works with small and medium size companies, as well as large multinational organisations.

Richard Worthington

Partner Richard Worthington is a patent attorney in the Advanced Engineering group. He is also head of the Designs specialist practice group. Richard’s patent experience lies mainly in the fields of mechanical and electrical engineering, with a particular emphasis on aerospace and defence, automotive, clean energy, packaging and medical device technologies. Richard works extensively on a wide range of aircraft technologies, including flight control surfaces and systems, composites design and manufacturing, aircraft structures, fuel systems and UAVs. In the automotive sector he has particular experience of IC engines, turbochargers, vehicle air-conditioners, caravans, smart toll charging systems and off-highway vehicles. He also has patent experience in the wind energy sector of blade control systems, turbine construction and condition monitoring. He supports a wide range of clients including universities, start-ups and multinational corporations such as Europe’s leading commercial aircraft manufacturer. As head of the firm’s Designs group, Richard advises clients mainly in the cosmetics, fashion, furniture and medical device industries. His clients use design rights to supplement other forms of IP protection, such as patents and trade marks, and as a stand-alone backbone of their IP strategy. Richard often combines his keen eye for design aesthetics with his engineering background to great effect in scoping out design registrations for functional items. Richard has a wealth of experience in all aspects of patent practice. In addition to patent drafting and prosecution work around the world he is experienced in portfolio management, invention harvesting, litigation and European Patent Office Opposition and Appeal proceedings, IP ownership in collaborative projects, licensing and entitlement dispute resolution, and freedom to operate, validity and infringement opinions.

Howard Wright

Partner Howard is a senior member of the Electronics, Computing & Physics group. He is also chairman of Withers & Rogers Renewals LLP, a sister business which specialises in renewing IP rights and translating patents and other technical documents. Howard has extensive experience in patenting inventions in a broad range of technologies. These include medical apparatus, computer-related inventions, mechanical inventions and semiconductor devices. Howard has worked with many multinational, medium-sized and smaller companies, as well as with individuals. Much of his work is with SMEs for whom patents can play a huge part in their success. He also works closely with many patent attorneys overseas. His clients include Thorn Security Limited. Howard often travels to Taiwan to visit a number of the firm’s clients there. Howard has successfully represented both applicants and opponents in oral proceedings at the European Patent Office (EPO). He represented one US company in a group of oppositions and appeals against a large German corporation. His client experience includes writing a patent attorney’s report for a client that formed part of its prospectus when it was listed on the London Stock Exchange. He has also advised on the validity of patents and on the risk of infringement. Another client required a positive opinion as to the validity of their patents as part of a round of fund-raising, and with Howard’s help, they were able to make some straightforward post-grant amendments to put the patents’ validity virtually beyond question. For another client, Howard advised in modifying the design of their prototype product so as to avoid risk of infringement of a competitor’s product. Although the modifications were costly as a result of the need to retool, the final design was nearly 15% more efficient than the original prototype.