Patents

Kirk advises a range of clients including multinational companies, SMEs and academic institutions in patent matters in the fields of organic chemistry and especially pharmaceuticals.

His practice encompasses drafting, filing and prosecution of patent applications with a particular emphasis on the preparation of infringement and validity opinions and EPO opposition and appeal proceedings. Kirk has successfully represented his clients at EPO opposition and appeal proceedings in relation to a number of leading pharmaceutical products. In relation to several of these cases Kirk has also gained experience of co-ordinating strategy between EPO oppositions and appeal proceedings and corresponding litigation in other jurisdictions, across Europe and the US.

Kirk is adept at IP due diligence, having supported successful funding rounds for a number of his SME clients, and product acquisitions for his multinational clients. Kirk is also qualified to represent clients in the Higher Courts as a patent attorney litigator.

European patent attorney 2001; chartered patent attorney 2002. D Young & Co, partner 2004.

Prior to joining the patent profession, Kirk spent two years as a senior research scientist with a major pharmaceutical company. Prior to joining D Young & Co, Kirk worked as an in-house patent attorney at GlaxoSmithKline and also spent time working in New York with Kenyon & Kenyon, a large US law firm.

Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA); European Patent Institute (epi).

University of Sussex (BSc (Hons) Chemistry); University of Southampton (PhD in synthetic organic chemistry; Pfizer Organic Chemistry Prize); Queen Mary College, University of London (Certificate in Intellectual Property Law); Nottingham Law School (LLM in Intellectual Property Litigation).