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Harvey is a Partner focussing on the Life Sciences and Chemistry sectors. With over 25 years’ experience at first instance and appellate level, Harvey is recognised as one of the leading attorneys and advocates in contentious proceedings before the EPO and is a respected strategist and formidable opponent. IAM Patent 1000 comment that Adams is “an excellent attorney who is well recognised and respected in opposition proceedings at the EPO. He remains cool and collected under pressure to deliver favourable results in critical situations.” (IAM Patent 1000, 2024) He brings a wealth of knowledge and insight to any contentious matter and has therefore been entrusted with the defence of many important patents for landmark drugs, especially in the context of parallel or anticipated ANDA litigation. In addition to his work in the contentious arena, Harvey is adept at navigating FTO issues and devising prosecution strategies to maximise the strength and reach of clients’ IP. Harvey has extensive experience with due diligence matters and in-depth knowledge of regulatory data protection, orphan drug designations, clinical trial exemptions, and patent term extensions such as SPCs. “Harvey has a great understanding and knowledge of long-running cases.” (The Legal 500, 2025). His practice is focussed on biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, including NCEs and prodrug technology, protein and peptide therapeutics, antibodies, immunoconjugates and ADCs, antisense oligonucleotides, gene therapy, glycoengineering, cell and tissue culturing, and protein and peptide display platforms. In addition to cases directed to APIs, he has been heavily involved in second and third generation patents on drug formulations, drug delivery systems, polymorphs, dosing regimens, and pharmacokinetics. He has defended many important patents protecting landmark drugs such as Avonex® (interferon beta), Temodal® (temozolomide), Clarinex® (desloratadine), Humira® (adalimumab), Myozyme® (alpha glucosidase), Lexiva® / Telzir® (fosamprenavir), Soliris® (eculizumab), Velcade® (bortezomib), Eloctate® (recombinant Factor VIII), Alprolix® (recombinant Factor IX), Norvir® (ritonavir), Kaletra® (ritonavir and lopinavir), Constella® (linaclotide) and Ninlaro® (ixazomib citrate). Harvey also practises in the fields of nutritional compositions, cosmetics, cosmeceuticals and diagnostics.

Jennifer Antcliff

Jenny is a partner in the firm’s Dispute Resolution team, ranked as a Next Generation Partner by Legal 500 (2024, 2023 and 2022) and an Up and Coming Partner by Chambers & Partners (2023). Jenny was awarded Biotech Litigator of the Year at the LMG Life Sciences Awards (EMEA) in 2024, and SPC Litigator of the Year at the LMG Life Sciences Awards (EMEA) in 2023 and 2022. Based on her biotechnology and biochemistry background, Jenny’s practice focusses on patent and SPC litigation concerning first-in-class therapeutic antibodies and blockbuster small molecule drugs. According to Legal 500 (2023), Jenny is “one of the best patent litigators in London”. Jenny has litigated before the UK Patents Court, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, most notably the Eli Lilly v Human Genome Sciences cases, and the Warner-Lambert v Actavis (“pregabalin”) litigation. Jenny has since represented FibroGen against Akebia in a further significant and successful appeal to test the boundaries of UK law on sufficiency (Impact Case of the Year, MIP 2022). Jenny also specialises in complex SPC litigation and associated regulatory advice. Several cases have involved references to the CJEU or EFTA Court, including C-443/17 AbraxisBioscience, C-493/12 Eli Lilly v Human Genome Sciences, C-443/12 Actavis v Sanofi, C-577/13 Actavis v Boehringer Ingelheim, C-181/24 Genmab, E-16/14 Pharmaq v Intervet and Teva v Janssen Pharmaceutica (Xeplion®). As a “highly skilled patent litigator with an extensive knowledge of the pharmaceutical industry” (Chambers & Partners, 2022) Jenny increasingly assists her clients in this sector with cross-border patent and SPC litigation matters, working closely with the business and external advisers to align launch or enforcement strategies across Europe. The Legal 500 also cites that “Clients also praise “excellent litigator” Jennifer Antcliff, who focuses on biotechnology and pharmaceutical patent litigation and “is already a star and has a phenomenal future ahead of her”. (Legal 500, 2020)

Isobel advises innovator healthcare companies through all stages of the therapeutic product lifecycle. Much of her time is spent on contentious matters relating to exclusivity-driving patents protecting commercially valuable products, including patents for small molecules, polymorphs and salt forms, combination therapies and pharmaceutical formulations. She defends such patents in multiparty opposition and appeal procedures at the European Patent Office, and provides crucial support for pan-European enforcement and the defence of nullity actions. She recently completed the Politecnico Milano European Patent Litigator course focusing on the new Unified Patent Court, and is a European Patent Litigator qualified to represent her clients in this new forum. Isobel applies the perspective gained from her extensive contentious work to opinion work, FTO analysis and optimising prosecution for patent applications at the European Patent Office, including those for new chemical entities, drug delivery systems, dosage regimens and manufacturing methods in the pharmaceutical field. She also coordinates the prosecution of global patent portfolios for her clients. She has acted for some of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, including Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Novartis, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Gilead Sciences, Ionis Pharmaceuticals and Vertex Pharmaceuticals . Isobel was named as a Rising Star in IP by Managing IP in 2018, 2019 and 2020, and continues to be listed as a notable practitioner. She was also listed in the patent category of the 2021 Legal Media Group Expert Guide. World IP Review listed her as one of 20 global trailblazers in 2020, and as an influential woman in IP in 2022.

Paul sits within our Engineering and Tech teams, predominantly working within the healthcare sector, for innovator SMEs, joint ventures and multinational healthcare companies. He particularly enjoys working with companies in the life sciences sector to develop patent portfolios covering engineering and technology innovations. Recently this has involved working for clients in areas such as electrochemical molecular diagnostics, cytometry and bioelectronics. Paul also handles a significant prosecution and opposition workload across a number of different medical devices, including minimally invasive surgical instruments, endoscopic accessories, sutures and injection devices. Paul’s contentious work involves EPO oppositions, at both first instance and appeal. In these matters he is quick to confront weaknesses in a case, and works creatively to strengthen them, first by thinking around a problem, and second by talented advocacy. Lately he has notched up several notable victories, which are the culmination of wider due diligence strategies that Paul has developed and maintained for his clients over a number of years. To that end, Paul is experienced in coordinating cost-effective clearance and monitoring projects aimed at keeping a close watch on his clients’ interests. Paul also works with a number of clients in a variety of other exciting engineering sectors including defence, commercial laundry, safety razors and energy storage. Whatever the field, Paul works hard to develop an understanding of the challenges facing the industry and whether building a portfolio, or devising a freedom to operate strategy, adapts his approach to suit his client’s circumstances and goals. With the scene set, he applies unquenchable enthusiasm and a decade of first class experience to his work. Paul’s client work is complemented by his long-standing involvement with Tech City. He has provided one-to-one IP clinics for various start-up companies and university enterprise ventures for several years. Most recently, Paul hosted an interactive session for students at London Southbank University’s Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, sharing his knowledge and experience in design rights.

John has extensive experience assisting tech and healthcare companies in all aspects of the patent lifecycle in the UK, Europe and globally, from invention mining, drafting and prosecution through to opposition, invalidity and enforcement proceedings. IAM Patent 1000 notes his “superb ability to prosecute patent applications in Europe”. In the healthcare space, John built the foundational patent portfolio for a top 10 pharma company for their various drug delivery platforms and defended them at opposition. In recent years, he acted in multiple EPO opposition cases against Huawei in relation to various software patents. He has also acted for LifeScan at the EPO in relation to their glucose management diagnostics technology, both on prosecution and opposition matters. More recently, he has been brought in to handle the European patent portfolios of fast-growing and innovative companies, such as Align Technology, Quantum-Si and Auris Health. John also acts for J&J Vision in relation to their ophthalmic laser surgery and intra-ocular lens technology. John advises a range of companies, from start-ups to multinationals, on a range of European IP issues, including infringement and enforcement of patents and design rights, and licensing issues. He is routinely brought in to handle complex FTO and clearance projects for a variety of US and European companies across the healthcare sector. As the lead patent attorney on various litigation cases in the UK, including Align Technology v ClearCorrect in relation to the former’s Invisalign® technology, and AMO Development v Alcon in relation to Alcon’s LenSx® ophthalmic laser surgery platform, John has brought in-depth technical knowledge and strategic perspectives to bear on these cases from a European standpoint. John is regularly recommended by the leading industry guides. According to Legal 500 2024, “John Brunner is a creative and highly skilled IP attorney. His abilities are showcased during complex disputes, including his project management skills.” “When it comes to critical EU oppositions, you can always count on John Brunner; he provides comprehensive patent strategies across Europe. He is sensitive to his clients’ competitive landscape and crafts their patent strategies to meet their business objectives.” IAM Patent 1000 notes that John has “an impressive reputation in cutting-edge fields, including fintech, drug delivery and artificial intelligence.”

Mark leads the Biotechnology team at Carpmaels & Ransford. Mark’s impressive Biotech-only practice focusses on the rapid and effective building of commercially valuable European patent portfolios for small and medium-sized clients. Mark enjoys devising and implementing pragmatic drafting, filing, prosecution and defence strategies for the European Patent Office, in close collaboration with his long-standing clients. Mark also has a proven track record in co-ordinating large global patent portfolios for the firm’s clients, most notably Ionis Pharmaceuticals. Mark works closely with clients to devise family and portfolio-wide filing and prosecution strategies, and to implement these strategies across large numbers of cases in a variety of territories, minimising the burden on the client team. Mark has very substantial experience of both pre-grant (examination and appeal) and post-grant (opposition and appeal) proceedings before the European Patent Office, as well as abundant experience prosecuting cases before the UK Intellectual Property Office. This has resulted in an enviable reputation for obtaining and defending broad early claims to important new Biotech innovations, including for important cases originating from leading global academic institutions, including Stanford University. Mark also regularly advises clients on freedom to operate and enjoys working closely with the firm’s Dispute Resolution and Transactions teams to provide clients with holistic IP advice. Mark has been centrally involved in the filing and prosecution of many European patents on antisense therapeutics, especially for Ionis Pharmaceuticals, including those covering Kynamro® (mipomersen) and Spinraza® (nusinersen). Recently, Mark has been pivotal to the successful prosecution and defence of key patents on an adult adipose stem cell product. Mark also has detailed knowledge of current commercial non-invasive pre-natal testing (NIPT) methods including Verinata Health’s verify® test, having prosecuted and defended multiple patents in this area, including Stanford University’s ‘Quake’ patent estate. IAM Patent 1000, 2023 recognise Mark as “a skilled operator at the EPO and has particular acumen obtaining and defending broad early claims to important new biotech innovations.”

Jonathan is dual-qualified as a solicitor and trademark attorney. His background in brand protection enforcement and management coupled with IP and commercial advisory work, has led to his long-standing relationship with one of the world’s largest entertainment companies and other global companies including Western Digital, Allergan and Biogen Idec. Jonathan regularly advises on complex trademark opposition cases and EU-wide brand clearance in a range of fields, from pharmaceuticals to anti-counterfeiting and enforcement strategies, and from brand co-existence, comparative advertising, and the IP aspects of major acquisitions and disposals. Recent work includes dispute management and business ventures, providing “quick, thorough and practical” advice (Managing IP), for one of the world’s leading entertainment companies. Jonathan has also been involved in the strategic management of a global pharmaceutical company’s European brand portfolio, encompassing eye care, obesity, neuroscience and aesthetic medicines.

Emma Demetriades

Emma is a Partner in the Life Sciences team and her work focuses exclusively on the pharmaceutical sector. Emma manages patent portfolios covering a wide range of different subject-matter within the pharmaceutical field including new chemical entities, medical uses, dosage regimens, manufacturing methods, new formulations, and polymorphs. Emma works for some of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, helping them to obtain patents protecting their most successful and commercially important medicinal products. Emma has significant experience in advising clients on all aspects of European patent prosecution but the majority of her time is spent assisting clients in defending their most valuable patents in post-grant opposition and appeal proceedings before the EPO. Emma has worked on some of the biggest multi-party oppositions at the EPO involving more than ten different opponents and has represented clients at oral proceedings before both the Opposition Divisions and the Boards of Appeal. In addition to her significant experience before the EPO, Emma works closely with our in-house Dispute Resolution team on several litigation projects, co-ordinating response strategies before the EPO and across Europe to ensure a consistent approach is adopted in all jurisdictions, whilst tailoring the submissions and amendment strategies to meet the individual needs of each local court. Emma also works closely with technical experts during the litigation proceedings drawing on her chemistry background to get to the bottom of the science behind the invention and assist experts with the preparation of their written reports.

Stephen Duffield

Described as “simply a super patent attorney” (JUVE 2023), Stephen is a Partner in the Life Sciences team and manages the firm’s Munich office. He is qualified as a patent attorney and as a solicitor, and is a registered UPC representative. Stephen brings each of these perspectives to the matters on which he works, where he has a particular focus on biological therapies. This work is often contentious and relating to therapies involving complex immunological aspects in their mechanisms of action. Stephen is regularly entrusted by clients with matters relating to blockbuster products. These clients recognise his key skills in distilling the complexities of their matters into easily understood arguments for use at the EPO, and in courts and patent offices across Europe. In this respect, industry guides remark that Stephen is “incredibly smart, creative and responsive” and “very knowledgeable about EPO opposition issues and strategy” (IAM Patent 1000 2023). Stephen is regularly involved in UK and pan-European litigations, attacking and defending patents in EPO opposition proceedings and on appeal, and pressure testing patents before their assertion in litigation, including in the anti-TNF, anti-IL12, anti-IL23, anti-PCSK9, anti-IL4R and anti-CD38 fields as well as the immuno-oncology arena (immune checkpoint inhibitors and T-cell retargeting bispecifics). He also has an extensive prosecution and advisory practice relating to patent applications in Europe and across the globe, SPCs and regulatory exclusivities, encompassing biosimilars. Stephen is often sought out by clients for due diligence and freedom to operate matters, for his ability to assemble and focus teams to achieve results in commercially critical timeframes. He has a real understanding of the business drivers of his work, which was developed through a six-month secondment working in-house at the US patent law department of a global pharmaceuticals company. When qualifying as a patent attorney, Stephen was awarded the prestigious Gill Prize for achieving the highest overall mark in his final UK qualification exams, as well as the Michael Jones Prize for achieving the highest mark in the finals level patent prosecution paper. Earlier, Stephen was awarded the Bill Caro Prize for the highest mark when passing the Certificate in Intellectual Property Law at Queen Mary University of London.

Matthew Georgiou

Matthew is the Practice Group Leader for the Chemistry and Pharmaceuticals group at Carpmaels & Ransford, heading up a team of over 50 attorneys and trainees specialising at the interface of Chemistry and IP. Matthew’s personal practice focusses on counselling clients in the chemical and pharmaceutical sector on strategies for maintaining market exclusivity in Europe, assisting some of the world’s largest healthcare companies in protecting their intellectual property in Europe and beyond. At the core of Matthew’s practice is his experience representing clients before the European Patent Office in examination, opposition and appeal proceedings on complex commercial products. He has handled large multiparty opposition proceedings (in attack and defence) relating to a variety of pharmaceutical products and has taken cases all the way to the EPO’s Enlarged Board of Appeal. Alongside this, Matthew has extensive experience advising on PTE/SPC and regulatory exclusivities relating to medicinal products and often works alongside the firm’s litigation group supporting with disputes on which there are parallel National Court proceedings pending. Matthew is also a registered UPC Representative and is working with clients on UPC litigation strategies as they embrace this new pan-European Court. Alongside this, Matthew has experience advising on SPC strategies and regulatory exclusivity relating to medicinal products in Europe. He also has experience in providing litigation support in circumstances where parallel EPO and national court proceedings are pending. Matthew has successfully managed cases relating to a range of different pharmaceutical subject-matter including NCE’s, combination therapies, second generation products, formulation technologies, dosage regimens, polymorphs, vaccine adjuvant systems and API manufacturing processes. He has also worked extensively in the industrial chemical sector, handling technologies ranging from the synthesis of chemical intermediates such as acetic acid, vinyl acetate, adiponitrile, caprolactam and their downstream uses, to those relating to the polymer and petrochemicals industries. Additionally, Matthew has represented clients in the speciality chemical sector, advising on inventions relating to ionic liquids, surface coatings and artificial sweeteners, amongst others. Matthew has also gained valuable commercial experience whilst on secondment to a pharmaceutical company during his training. Matthew is the Vice Chair of the IPO’s European Practice Committee. He is actively involved in committee work and regularly speaks at IPO events.

Hugh Goodfellow

Hugh is the Senior Partner at Carpmaels & Ransford and a Partner in the Life Sciences team. He has a large prosecution practice, spanning Europe and beyond, and he is a regular visitor to the European Patent Office (EPO), handling many oppositions and appeals. He has pan-European expertise in the filing and prosecution of supplementary protection certificates nationally, as well as considerable experience before the European Court of Justice, including the widely cited Queensland (C-630/10), Neurim (C-130/11) and Abraxis (C-443/17) referrals. “Managing partner Hugh Goodfellow is a notable member of the team with significant expertise in representing both well-established and growing biotechnology companies in prosecution proceedings” (The Legal 500, 2025). He has an “expansive practice” (IAM Patent 1000) with clients ranging from large and long-established global companies (e.g. Janssen, Takeda, Bristol Myers Squibb, Regeneron and Vertex) through to growing biotech companies (e.g., Akari, Radius Health, Hubrecht Organoid Technology, Translate Bio and Westway Health). During his career, he has been responsible for establishing the filing strategy and generating IP portfolios for a number of start-ups, guiding some of these clients all the way from early conception, through financing rounds and subsequent public flotation. His particular area of current focus includes biologics – in particular, therapeutic antibodies, complex immunology, biosimilar defence work and stem cell technology. Collectively, these experiences have developed Hugh’s ability to consistently and successfully protect foundation intellectual property and forecast potential future problems from the viewpoint of both IP generation and freedom to operate. Hugh has been noted as a “top-tier advisor” who “seamlessly links the firm’s prosecution division with its dispute resolution arm” He is cited as a “trusted IP adviser with valuable global insight” whose ability to navigate the complexities of the patent landscape makes him an invaluable source of knowledge and an excellent leader of the practice. (IAM Patent 1000).

Daniel covers a wide range of biotech inventions, including therapeutic antibodies, antisense compounds, transgenic animals and cell‑based therapies. He has a sizable European prosecution practice, and regularly advocates for clients in offensive and defensive EPO opposition proceedings. Recently, Daniel was one of a trio of Carpmaels attorneys that represented Novartis in G1/22, an Enlarged Board of Appeal referral that fundamentally changed how the EPO examines priority rights. Daniel has a particular interest in antibody-related inventions. His practice has encompassed a slew of patents in the anti‑IL12, anti-IL23, anti-CD47 and anti-CD117 fields. Daniel relishes building and defending patent portfolios that protect the innovation associated with the various stages of antibody product development. New platforms, formats, targets, leads, formulations and uses each come with their own particular considerations and challenges. More generally, Daniel enjoys collaborating with the firm’s Dispute Resolution and Transactions teams to provide clients with integrated IP advice on commercially important matters such as freedom to operate, due diligence, licensing and infringement.

Chris is a partner in the Pharmaceuticals team at Carpmaels & Ransford. He handles cases relating to new chemical entities, combinations, formulations, polymorphs, dosage regimens and clinical trial inventions for innovator clients such as Gilead and Novartis. Chris is experienced as lead counsel in multiparty EPO opposition and appeal proceedings and has successfully represented clients on a number of commercially important patents protecting blockbuster products. His work often involves supporting parallel litigation, both in an advisory capacity and in tailoring EPO strategies to align with his clients’ commercial objectives in the courts. In addition to his largely contentious work with big pharma, he supports clinical stage pharmaceutical companies such as KalVista Pharmaceuticals. He is also a registered UPC representative. Chris is recommended by IAM Patent 1000 and is cited as a “trusted practitioner, [who] easily understands the relevant details and offers creative solutions to tricky problems. He is a strong oral advocate and is self-assured while always remaining open to new ideas” (IAM Patent 1000, 2023). He is recognised as a “key lawyer” in Legal 500 and as a Band 1 practitioner in Chambers. Sources highlight that he “has huge experience and technical knowledge” and that he is “very knowledgeable and thorough in his legal advice. He is a pleasure to work with” (Chambers & Partners, 2025).

David has a diverse practice, working with therapeutic proteins, modified nucleic acids and traditional small molecules. He has particular experience handling platform technology cases, from drafting provisionals to EPO opposition, and from worldwide prosecution to national litigation. Highlights include successfully revoking many of Moderna’s platform patents for mRNA vaccines, protecting Ambrx’s antibody conjugate platform worldwide and successful opposition defences across Ionis’ modified oligonucleotide portfolio. David’s advice is built on almost two decades supporting both early-stage pharma companies and more established players such as Incyte, Biogen, J&J and Sanofi. David’s practice focuses on managing interrelated prosecution, oppositions, and appeals at the EPO, often providing strategic advice where his client is opponent in one case and proprietor in the next. He works in collaboration with the firm’s dispute resolution team, including supporting several UPC actions in the area of human therapeutics. David has a particular interest in the development of Europe’s new patent court and he’s often asked to share his UPC expertise, both through industry-wide events such as those organised by AIPLA and also as a guest lecturer at the European Patent Litigator course held by the Politecnico di Milano. He also helps coordinate national litigation, including advocacy at the Swiss Federal Patent Court, trips to the German national courts and work on UK litigation projects. Another of David’s specialisms is European patent term extensions (SPCs) for a wide range of products, including Jakavi®, Zynyz® and Evarrest®. Clients often rely on David to manage oppositions and patent prosecution that interlink with the SPC strategy. As part of this work, he assesses the SPC strength, patent coverage, and their interplay with the regulatory protections available to his clients. David is frequently involved in appeals against SPC refusals across Europe, including hearings at the UKIPO and supporting litigation in Italy, Spain and the Netherlands.

Ben has a considerable practice in the MedTech field which covers a broad spectrum of mechanical and software technology. The ability to handle such a broad spectrum of work is supported by his electronics/software background and passion to understand how mechanical machines operate, especially in the automotive sector. Ben’s practice also includes original drafting and handling extensive patent portfolios in a variety of technology areas including wireless communications, robotic process automation, call centre routing, and memory devices. Ben also has a wealth of experience from handling a significant opposition portfolio across a number of different medical and electronics technology areas. Ben has a genuine interest in advising clients on protecting their software innovation, which includes several clients developing innovative AI solutions and often extends to areas that are at the fringes of patentability. Ben provides pragmatic advice when it comes to deciding whether patent protection is appropriate and on how the law and guidelines can be navigated when drafting and prosecuting applications for software-based inventions. Ben is always keen to be involved with any emerging technologies, which currently includes developing best practices for handling work in the AI sector both in his day-to-day work and his membership of The Artificial Intelligence and New Emerging Technologies Committee of the Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO).

Andrew Hutchinson

Andrew is a partner in the firm’s Dispute Resolution team, with 20 years’ experience handling disputes before the UK courts, CJEU, UPC and EPO. Andrew is an expert in managing and coordinating global cross-border patent litigation. With his biotechnology and biochemistry background, Andrew advises clients on complex patent, SPC and regulatory problems, supported by his insights from committee positions in industry organisations. According to IAM Patent, he is a “life sciences maven”. Andrew is a seasoned patent litigator and strategic advisor for pharma and biotech clients. He has utilised his strong technical background – having studied Natural Sciences (Biochemistry) at Cambridge, Christ’s College – to advise clients litigating patents before all courts in the UK, including the UK IPO, Patents Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court, as well as the Court of Justice of the European Union. His experience includes a number of leading small molecule and biologic drug cases for Bayer, Eli Lilly, LEO Pharma and GSK, as well as disputes concerning medical devices, additive manufacturing, cosmetics, consumer products and industrial manufacturing. Andrew also understands and advises clients on regulatory matters, in particular relating to supplementary protection certificates (SPCs). This is supported by insights from Andrew’s roles sitting on IP advisory committees for industry organisations, such as the UK Biotech Industry Association and US Intellectual Property Owners Association. Andrew has also been involved in consultations concerning reforms of SPC and regulatory law. Andrew’s expertise and experience extends beyond the UK, advising clients involved in almost every dimension of parallel disputes, including coordinating timelines and case spanning courts and patent offices in the UK, Europe, US and across the globe. Andrew has applied his experience to advise clients on the new dimension added by the powerful forum of the Unified Patent Court (UPC), handling disputes at the fringes of developing rules and caselaw, and providing strategic advice on areas such as pinning patents (out and in), complex jurisdictional issues and cross-border enforcement.

Paul is a Partner in the Life Sciences team, specialising in small molecule pharmaceuticals. He coordinates filing and prosecution strategies for patent applications at all stages of the product lifecycle and has extensive experience representing clients in multi-party EPO opposition and appeal proceedings. Paul was shortlisted for MIP’s Rising Star of the Year award in 2024. A significant area of Paul’s practice is in Supplementary Protection Certificates (SPCs) and other patent term extensions. He is experienced in planning and implementing complex pan-European SPC filing strategies and coordinating worldwide patent term extension portfolios. Given Paul’s expertise in this area, he often works in concert with the Dispute Resolution team at Carpmaels to defend SPCs for some of the world’s largest selling drugs from generic challenge in UK and European tribunals.

Ian is a Partner in the Dispute Resolution team and focuses on multi-jurisdictional patent litigation and intellectual property disputes. Ian has over 30 years’ experience in litigating and resolving cases before the English Patents Court and other IP courts, including the IPEC, as well as the English appeal courts and more recently the UPC. He frequently advises on matters that cross both the Atlantic and into continental Europe, and is at his happiest when faced with tricky and knotty commercial problems. His clients and peers highlight his tenacity, excellence and shrewdness but perhaps, above all, his ability to manage and get the most out of a team. As well as litigating disputes in all areas of IP law, Ian is a strong user and supporter of alternative dispute resolution and is a member of the WIPO List of Mediators. Whether preparing witnesses for trial, or bringing together two warring parties, Ian pays attention not only to the legal and commercial issues, but also the psychology of the dispute and the parties in striving for success either at trial or through a negotiated resolution. Ian is known for his pragmatic, clear and direct approach to managing, resolving and handling disputes. Ian is cited as being “an excellent leader…[his] arsenal of skills encompass monoclonal antibodies and voice recognition technologies” in The Legal 500, 2025. According to Legal 500 2024, “If you care about strategy and winning, Ian Kirby is the solicitor you want to anchor your litigation. He effectively manages and directs trial activities in court, and he is experienced with IP litigation on an international scale. He has good knowledge of US patent litigation processes and strategies, and he is able to adapt US litigation approaches into winning strategies in UK courts.” He is recommended by Managing Intellectual Property as an IP Star and a “smart” lawyer who is “always unruffled” during litigation, impressing clients with his “clear thinking”. He is also acknowledged by IAM Patent 1000 as “an ace when it comes to multi-jurisdictional patent litigation in any sector”. Chambers and Partners 2024 refers to Ian’s “excellent judgement and client-handling skills” while Legal 500 refers to him as a “thoughtful, pragmatic and astute litigator”. He maintains strong relationships with his litigation colleagues as well as the specialist external IP barristers. Despite the stresses and tensions caused by many pieces of major litigation, Ian’s relationships with many of his clients have been long-standing, and no job is too small or trivial, or too large and unwieldy, for Ian and the Carpmaels & Ransford team to handle. Ian was Carpmaels & Ransford’s first litigation partner and during the last 30 years, Ian has litigated high profile patent cases concerning monoclonal antibodies, voice recognition technology, and audio and many other technologies; globally famous copyright cases for the world’s largest publisher; trade mark and passing off cases that have pushed upon the edges of the law. IAM Patent 1000 notes that “Ian Kirby has been racking up the wins for over 25 years and stands out for his inspiring team management and big-picture thinking both in and out of the courtroom.”, while WTR 1000 comments that “Dispute-resolution maven Ian Kirby has put in many resonant courtroom performances over his 30-year career and has done much to shape the legal landscape.”

Anna’s area of expertise is in biotech. She has a current focus on cell therapy, and carries out European patent prosecution of a large portfolio of patent applications in this rapidly developing and complex field. Innovation in the cell therapy field comes in many forms, and in addition to this diverse field Anna also works with clients in many other technology areas. In particular she has extensive experience in the areas of protein therapeutics, diagnostics and platform technologies. She has worked with clients of all sizes and types to develop and execute their IP strategies. At all stages, she focuses on building effective working relationships to ensure that clients’ objectives are fully understood. She has extensive experience of drafting patent applications, as well as prosecuting these and other applications at the EPO, and coordinating global patent portfolio prosecution. Running alongside her drafting and prosecution work, is her advice and contentious work. She has considerable experience of oppositions and appeals at the EPO, and supports clients with a variety of advice, including freedom to operate analysis and due diligence exercises. The technical expertise that Anna acquired in her studies and during her time as a patent attorney means that irrespective of the specific technology, she is able to think creatively and solve problems. Anna always looks for the bigger picture, but without losing sight of the technical detail.

Simon Llewellyn

Simon is a partner in the Dispute Resolution team whose practice focuses on multi-jurisdictional patent litigation across all industry sectors, but particularly on the various aspects of the healthcare sector. Simon has litigated high-profile cases before the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal and High Court concerning both patents and SPCs. His experience includes cases involving blockbuster small molecule, antibody, and non-biological complex drugs, and medical devices. Simon’s expertise also encompasses the chemical sector, and he has assisted in cases involving polymers and industrial chemical processes. Much of Simon’s work involves cross-border litigation and he has extensive experience assisting as co-counsel in litigation taking place across Europe and elsewhere, including the US and Asia. Simon’s strong scientific background, which includes a doctorate in chemistry from the University of Oxford and post-doctoral research experience, gives him a deep understanding of the technical side of the healthcare and chemical sectors. Coupled with his cross-border patent litigation experience, this means Simon is very well-placed to assist his clients to develop successful patent enforcement and defence strategies.

Roger’s extensive and varied practice covers the full trade mark life-cycle, from the inception of a brand, protection via the registration process, commercialisation of rights, and enforcement in opposition actions, cancellation actions and litigation. Roger enjoys long-standing relationships with clients across a diverse spectrum of sectors, ranging from media and entertainment, tourism, fine foods and wine, through to pharmaceuticals and agricultural chemicals. He has experience around the world, particularly in the UK and Europe. Roger leads the Trade Marks team, alongside Jonathan Day, representing and supporting high profile clients including Polaroid, Bear Grylls, Allergan and Autoglass/Carglass. Roger guides his clients through the complex issues surrounding trade marks, including clearance and brand counselling, applications, oppositions, and cancellations before the UKIPO, the EUIPO and WIPO, as well as litigation. Roger “earns plaudits as a ‘professional, helpful, attentive, commercial and practical’ partner.” (WTR 1000).

Cameron Marshall

Cameron focuses exclusively on the biotechnology and pharmaceutical fields, with an extensive EPO opposition practice (including many cases defending against multiple opponents) that runs alongside a large prosecution practice. These two areas often overlap, so strategic prosecution and parent/divisional strategies are a regular part of his workload. He is often engaged to advise clients at an early stage, in situations where future patent fights with competitors are inevitable. Cameron acts for biotech companies including Guardant Health and Mammoth Biosciences, but most of his time is spent acting for blue-chip pharmaceutical companies, including Novartis, Merck, Gilead, and Lilly. This work includes defending patents covering blockbuster products which have attracted numerous EPO oppositions, whether from traditional generics companies or from biosimilars. He often acts as lead counsel at the EPO, but also collaborates with other firms to provide a second pair of eyes, and frequently plays a support role for national litigations. His expertise means that he has also been in demand as a UPC representative, acting for Novartis and Curio in two high profile UPC disputes. Cameron has over 25 years of experience of inter partes proceedings at the EPO, both defending and attacking, and he is one of only a handful of attorneys to have represented a patentee in an EPO opposition (and subsequent appeal) involving more than 15 opponents. This experience means that he is often engaged to defend patents which provide crucial protection and exclusivity for blockbuster pharmaceuticals and biologics, including patents on new medical uses, dosing regimens, and formulations. In addition to that work, though, he also handles biotech innovations and has recently been defending Guardant’s groundbreaking work on liquid biopsy against several opponents. His biotech work goes back a long way, and he defended the “Southern” patents on DNA microarrays and spent two decades working on the inventions underpinning lifesaving meningococcal vaccines. Cited as “an exceptional attorney” (Chambers UK, 2025), the main independent guides to the legal profession regularly rank Cameron at the top of his field. Sources say, “Cameron provides well-reasoned strategic advice and has an outstanding ability to argue cases”…”[He] works on critical cases and he is especially impressive in oppositions”…and “consistently delivers solid results.” Chambers UK, 2025. He is recognised as a “highly experienced litigator” (JUVE 2023) with “great business acumen and a strategic mind” (Chambers & Partners). As well as advising on patent matters, he was a tutor for several years on the JDD residential course preparing candidates for the EQE opposition paper, and was an advisor to the IP monitoring group of the UK Government’s Human Genetics Commission.

Jake specialises in transactional and advisory matters involving intellectual property and technology. He advises clients across a variety of sectors including life sciences, software/technology, media and entertainment and retail. Jake’s work includes drafting and negotiating a wide range of IP/IT licences and commercial agreements, advising on the IP/IT aspects of transactions and also on matters relating to data protection and e-commerce. In the 2025 edition of The Legal 500 Jake was “singled out for his expertise in commercial agreements”. IAM Patent 1000, 2024 says he “skilfully draws up fruitful commercial agreements and draws on his in-house experience to understand the commercial needs and priorities of his following.” While Managing IP reports that Jake delivers a “first-class” service to clients.

Ed built his “enviable track record” (IAM Patent 1000) on some of the most difficult and complex cases in the life sciences sphere, including the longest life sciences opposition hearing in memory (eight days attacking EP 2 188 302 on behalf of Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC) and some of the most heavily opposed life sciences patents ever (22 opponents on EP 2 478 907 and 15 opponents on its parent, EP 2 061 561, on behalf of Janssen Oncology, and 14 opponents on EP 2 292 219 on behalf of Novartis AG). Ed’s sole focus is healthcare, and he has worked on numerous marketed pharmaceuticals across a variety of fields, leading the key patent defences on some of the world’s most valuable medicines of recent times. Complementing Ed’s advocacy before the EPO, Ed is “an original thinker” (Who’s Who Legal: Patents) with exceptional experience in patent lifecycle management, and a “powerful intellect with great SPC knowledge” (Who’s Who Legal: Patents), also advising clients on paediatric extensions and related regulatory exclusivities. He has coordinated many complex pan-European SPC portfolios, and has a detailed understanding of law and procedure relating to the Unified Patent Court (UPC). Ed has worked on some of the seminal European SPC cases of recent years, and consequently has been invited on a number of occasions to address the annual meeting of pan-EU SPC examiners. Along with his “terrific prosecution and SPC experience” (Managing IP), Ed has acted before the Court of Justice of the European Union, the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, the High Court of England and Wales and the UK Intellectual Property Office, and has managed litigations in many jurisdictions around the world. When not engaged in contentious work or prosecuting cases, Ed uses his “very impressive … breadth of pharmaceuticals knowledge” (IAM Patent 1000), coupled with his experience on big-ticket cases, to provide his clients with practical advice in relation to IP matters. This includes freedom-to-operate advice, transactional support, such as due diligence, and counselling relating to the UPC.Prior to joining Carpmaels & Ransford in 2003, Ed studied chemistry at University of Oxford where he was awarded a scholarship and a number of prizes for his academic performance, graduating with a first-class degree. After becoming a European and UK patent attorney, Ed qualified as a Patent Attorney Litigator, receiving the Hogarth Prize as the highest-ranked patent attorney in his year. Spurred by the advent of the UPC and his dual EU nationality, Ed more recently obtained the Milan European Patent Litigator qualification.

Gary is the Managing Partner at Carpmaels & Ransford. He is a highly respected software, computer and medical technology specialist, who handles a diverse portfolio of cases that cover technologies ranging from complex medical systems employing software, AI, and signal and image processing, and medical devices, to electrical and electronic engineering, telecommunications, semiconductor technology and measurement technology. He has a particular interest in the environment and maintains a portion of his portfolio in areas that support environmental improvement. Over the years this has included hybrid vehicle technology, alternative drive systems, solar and wind power, and more recently thermal energy storage. Gary is recognised for his ability to tailor creative strategies to the differing requirements of his clients, creating and advising on patenting strategies, carrying out due diligence, and coordinating patent portfolios, throughout the world. Throughout his career Gary has represented a broad spectrum of clients, ranging from large multinationals, such as Hewlett-Packard Company, Micron Technology and Blue Prism, various Healthcare companies including Biosense Webster, Acclarent and Cerenovus, through SMEs such as TouchType (SwiftKey) now a part of Microsoft, Leman Micro Devices and Rondo Energy, to universities and individuals. He has a wealth of experience in drafting patent applications in extremely diverse areas of technology, so as to ensure that they are robust in multiple jurisdictions. Gary manages a very large prosecution practice before the UK and European patent offices, and has handled numerous oppositions and appeals before the European Patent Office (EPO), both as opponent and defendant. He also advises his clients on the infringement and validity of UK patents, and co-ordinates subsequent negotiations and/or actions. Gary regularly advises his clients on the contentious and ever-developing area of patentability, in both the UK and European forums, of software and computer-implemented inventions, and inventions in other areas said to be excluded from patentability. He has retained a particular interest in AI since his research days, and is active in exploiting the possibilities provided by the developing legislation and guidelines on patenting AI inventions at both the EPO and UKIPO, and advising clients on how to navigate this developing area of the law. He has a sizeable prosecution practice in applied AI technologies.

Annabel Strawson

Annabel qualified as a UK and European patent attorney in 2014. A key member of the Life Sciences team, Annabel has developed a practice with a strong focus in diagnostic and drug development platform technologies, including nucleic acid diagnostics, stem cells and organoids. She works on award-winning and high-value technologies, particularly in regenerative therapies. She contributed to EPO consultations and panel discussions regarding the development of stem cell practice at the EPO, and continues to stay closely involved in developments in the field. Annabel also works on a wide range of biological therapeutic products in both human and veterinary fields, and advises in all areas of biotechnology. Most of Annabel’s time is spent leading teams in opposition proceedings at the EPO, where she is an experienced advocate in both offensive and defensive opposition and appeal hearings. Her litigation qualifications and experience with contentious proceedings across Europe, and further afield, set her up well for representing and advising clients in the new UPC forum. According to one client: “Annabel combines in-depth scientific understanding of the subject matter of the IP, intellectual creativity and broad knowledge on patent prosecution to create very successful patent portfolios”.

James is a partner in the Life Sciences team and has over 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical sector. He headed up our Pharma group for seven years, and “is well-known for handling multi-opponent oppositions, including rare cases with more than 10 opponents” (IAM1000). His practice focuses exclusively on medicinal chemistry inventions for pharmaceutical innovators, and he has acquired a reputation for his imaginative approaches to the legal and technical strategies on the most commercially important cases. “James is noted for his adept handling of multi-opponent EPO opposition proceedings.” (The Legal 500, 2025). James is particularly sought after for conducting multi-opponent European Patent Office (EPO) opposition proceedings – he is one of only a handful of advocates to have extensive first chair experience of defending EPO oppositions with very large numbers of opponents, including over ten opposition defences of eight opponents or more, several of 15 opponents or more, and a recent record-breaking 20 opponent EPO opposition representing Janssen. Individually recommended in numerous industry directories, James is particularly known for successfully prosecuting and defending NCE, combination, formulation, second medical use and dosage regimen patents on marketed products. In this sphere, he has advised on many of Novartis’ blockbuster products and has led many EPO opposition defences to generic challenges, most notably the multi-party oppositions against Novartis’ Entresto, Exforge, Glivec, Aclasta and Ultibro products. He is also a lead outside patent counsel for Gilead’s HIV and HBV portfolios, successfully defending Gilead’s TAF and cobicistat medicines, present in a variety of their blockbuster antiviral products, against multi-opponent oppositions. He represents Roche in EPO opposition and appeal proceedings and is a lead counsel in the small molecule space for several other pharma companies, including Janssen and Incyte. He brings practical experience of the interplay of patent, SPC and regulatory law to these commercial situations. In his opposition work, commentators note that “James has a deep understanding of case law, the ability to navigate complex legal and technical intricacies, and can see the big picture alongside the small details to analyse each case effectively and develop the best possible strategy for success. James then makes complex arguments easy to understand and is highly skilled at picking up inconsistencies in the opponent’s arguments and uses them to strengthen his position. He is also experienced in the context of groundbreaking cases, where case law is yet to be established.” (IAM1000) James’ EPO opposition work frequently brings him into contact with parallel national litigation, and he is particularly sought out to bring his EPO and technical experience to litigation strategies throughout Europe and the world. He has earned a particular reputation defending cases involving clinical trial disclosures and has represented patent proprietors in many of the leading cases in this space, particularly T239/16, T108/21, T1098/22 and T779/24. James has also acquired a great deal of experience representing before the EPO’s Enlarged Board of Appeal, having prosecuted two petitions for review and successfully representing Novartis before the Enlarged Board of Appeal on the ground-breaking decisions regarding the transfer of priority rights, G1/22 and G2/22.

Natalia specialises in complex biotechnological subject matter, in particular cell and gene therapies, nucleic acid technologies, antibody-based drugs and engineered therapeutic proteins. She handles mainly European prosecution and opposition cases that require a coordinated strategic approach and often involve multiple parties and associated ongoing or looming disputes. Natalia has particular experience obtaining and defending key patents in relation to commercially valuable products and technologies, as well as advising on and attacking competitors’ IP. A large part of Natalia’s work also involves advising on SPCs, and she has been closely involved in high profile SPC litigation nationally and at the CJEU. Natalia was named as a Notable Practitioner in IP by Managing IP in 2024 and a Rising Star in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023.

David is a consultant in the Dispute Resolution team at Carpmaels & Ransford. He previously led the team and has over 30 years’ experience of handling complex patent disputes involving multi-jurisdictional litigation between major science and technology companies, in particular in the pharmaceutical and telecommunications sectors. He has a wealth of experience defending and bringing claims for corporations in patent infringement and revocation actions both in the UK and across Europe. A source describes him as “scientifically strong and an experienced and tough litigator.” (Chambers UK, 2020). David has represented clients in some of the UK’s largest patent cases both at first instance and appeal (including successfully acting for his clients all the way up to the Supreme Court in what is now the leading UK case on claim construction). David is also registered as a legal representative at the UPC and hence able to represent clients in pan-European patent litigation at this new court. He has particular expertise in litigating patent-related disputes where they arise in the context of existing license agreements and in negotiating high-value licenses and settlement agreements for his clients. “[David] is entrusted by science and technology players to assist with multi-jurisdictional litigation”…and “has a proven track record in negotiating high-value licenses and settlement agreements.” (Legal 500 UK, 2024). He is known for “regularly engaging in multi-jurisdictional litigation between companies in the pharmaceutical and telecoms sectors, David makes even the most complex patent disputes look easy” (IAM Patent 1000, 2020). Clients in Chambers UK, 2021 comment that “he has amassed a lot of good experience working for innovators” and they were “impressed by his calm demeanour.” During his career he has advised on ground-breaking cases which include securing victory for his clients in Kirin-Amgen, Inc. v Hoechst Marion Roussel Ltd, the UK’s leading authority on claim construction and achieving success for his client FibroGen in the Court of Appeal case of FibroGen v Akebia – the leading case on the assessment of sufficiency of functionally limited claims. He was awarded IP Lawyer of the Year: Pharmaceuticals in the 2020 LMG Awards and European SPC Litigator of the Year in the 2021 LMG Awards.

Daniel specialises in biologics and pharmaceuticals, with particular expertise in protein therapeutics, medicinal chemistry and vaccine technology. Much of his time is spent handling EPO opposition and UPC revocation proceedings, in which he has extensive experience both at first instance and appeal. He is a sought-after oral advocate and led the successful EPO oppositions linked to the widely cited US cases AbbVie v. Janssen and Amgen v. Sanofi. Aside from his opposition and UPC practice, Daniel carries out a range of patent work, including original drafting, prosecution at the EPO and overseas, opinions, and freedom to operate analyses. He is regularly involved in pan-European litigation and has particular experience leading EPO and UPC strands of complex international disputes. He is passionate about helping his clients bring their innovative medicines to market, with robust protection and free of competitor patents. Daniel has an in-depth knowledge of supplementary protection certificates (SPCs) for authorised medicines, having coordinated several high profile SPC portfolios across the EU and advised on the infringement and validity of third party SPCs. He has contributed to several SPC cases at the Court of Justice of the European Union over the years, including Queensland (C-630/10), Neurim (C-130/11) and Abraxis (C-443/17). Daniel has a global client base, from the US and Europe to Japan and Australia. He is regularly in our Munich office and Europe more generally, where he focuses on the innovative pharmaceutical sectors of Germany, Switzerland and Denmark in particular. According to The Legal 500, Daniel is “an excellent strategist and has the ability to engage in detailed aspects of a project while still maintaining perspective of the overall task. A creative problem solver”. He is also acknowledged as a “keen strategist, with a deft handling of coordinated EPO oppositions alongside litigation” in the IAM Patent 1000, 2023. Daniel was nominated for the UK Practitioner of the Year award (Patent & Trademark Attorney Firms) by Managing IP in 2022 and 2024. He is also cited as having a “deep knowledge of biotechnology and wealth of experience when it comes to oppositions” by JUVE in 2024.