The Patent 1000 focuses exclusively on patent practice and has firmly established itself as the definitive 'go-to' resource for those seeking world-class legal patent expertise.
Recommended - Individuals: prosecution
A top choice for prosecution across all manner of technical areas, Mathys & Squire also attracts plaudits for the quality of service delivered by its high-calibre attorneys. “As a firm, the Mathys & Squire team is proactive, responsive and accurate. Their communications are clear and easy to understand. The service they provide has been timely, accurate, helpful and courteous, and we have never had any issues with them. They have strong technical capabilities, and they make sure they have the right people doing the work. Their expertise, meticulous attention to detail, follow through and creativity always get positive results. Mathys & Squire won our business through competitive tender and have demonstrated the reasons for that win on an almost daily basis. The firm has continuously provided an excellent service.” Among the individual practitioners, “Jane Clark is an excellent patent attorney. Her work is high quality, she delivers timely responses to queries, she is flexible and always speaks her mind. More importantly, she never loses and consistently achieves value for her clients. She provides valuable insight and can craft persuasive and succinct claim amendments to persuade examiners to allow patent applications. On top of it all, Jane has a good sense of humour, and she is easy to work with.” Paul Cozens is an IP all-rounder, taking in trademarks and designs alongside a robust patent practice in the mechanical, electrical and software engineering fields. He is also a certified litigator and assiduously cultivates a knowledge of patent law as much as technical expertise. “Anna Gregson is a great choice for opposition and appeal work. She provides a pragmatic approach which is appreciated by business, and always delivers on time with a high-quality work product. On top of this, Anna is extremely personable and collaborative, so it feels more like she is part of the in-house team. Her responsiveness and ability to think strategically are appreciated.” Chris Hamer is best known for his deep technical knowledge of chemistry, ranging from petrochemicals to food chemistry. However, he also has a knack for commercialisation and has helped his clientele leverage their IP portfolios to grow from start-ups to valuations in excess of £300 million. “Dani Kramer is a great attorney and goes the extra mile to help out. He is very personable and easy to work with, which makes a real difference. He is also keen to help optimise collaboration procedures and works very well as part of a team.” Well respected for electronics wizardry, Alan MacDougall represents companies of all sizes, with technologies of all sizes, from robotics to hair straighteners. Martin MacLean is head of life sciences and is one of the country’s top practitioners in the space. He has a PhD in microbial engineering – but more than technical finesse, he has a 90% success rate at the EPO making him the right choice for almost any patron. A versatile prosecutor, taking in portfolios related to physics, electronics, engineering and material sciences, James Pitchford’s calmness under pressure and diligent work ethic recommend him to clients for domestic work and big-ticket EPO oppositions. “Craig Titmus consistently provides expert strategic advice and guidance on European patent applications. His quality work led to an extraordinarily rapid accelerated EPO intention to grant for a European patent. Craig’s academic background and expertise in biochemistry and biotechnology have been of great value, as have his strategic and technical understanding of patent processes, collaborative approach and management of his patents team supporting this complex work. The value Craig adds always exceeds expectations. He is exceptionally supportive, proactive and possesses the rare gift of reducing complexity to simplicity.” Recently promoted equity partner Andrew White is a skilled portfolio manager across a range of technologies, from medtech through software to the automotive industry. Alongside an analytical mind that penetrates technical issues across industries with ease, White is also prized by his following for his keen commercial insights. Three more attorneys joining the rankings this year are Stephen Garner, Juliet Redhouse and Michael Stott. Garner has 15 years’ experience prosecuting pharmaceutical drafts. This expertise, together with his experience before the EPO, no doubt recommended him to Sanofi, which has been instructing him and Stott on all matters concerning patent drafting, prosecution and appeals for rare disease drugs. Redhouse also sits in the life sciences team, taking on patrons in molecular biology, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology. A significant prosecution client is Abbott Diagnostics, and she is also defending Biogen against various opponents at the EPO. Stott’s technical acumen and commercial savvy were acquired through prior work within the pharmaceutical industry. A sophisticated and diligent portfolio manager, Stott knows how to get the most value from his clients’ intellectual assets.
Alan MacDougall is a UK and European patent attorney with nearly 30 years’ experience acting for clients of all sizes, including small and mid-sized enterprises and large multinational companies, advising them on their IP strategies and managing their IP portfolios. He has significant experience in electrical, electronic, acoustics, communications and computing technologies. Mr MacDougall is recommended in The Legal 500.
Mr MacDougall’s principal practice areas include strategic IP advice, portfolio management and patent drafting and prosecution. He also has expertise in both opposition and appeal proceedings before the European Patent Office. Mr MacDougall has detailed knowledge of networking and communications technologies, including specialist knowledge of mobile telecommunications standards, and advises on essentiality and licensing activity in this area. He also has extensive knowledge of robotics, control systems, navigation and routing systems, and sensing devices, such as inductive and capacitive sensors used in the automotive and computer fields. He advises extensively on software and business method-related inventions, particularly in the financial services sector.
Mr MacDougall has a first-class honours degree in electrical and electronic engineering, as well as a master’s degree in communications, digital signal processing and control from Strathclyde University.
Mr MacDougall is a member of the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property and regularly attends the Asian Patent Attorneys Association meetings as an observer.
Mathys & Squire is an IP powerhouse that puts its specialist knowledge to work for clients, to strengthen and secure what most modern businesses today treat as one of their most valuable strategic assets: intellectual property. The firm’s agile teams of attorneys, scientists and strategists are steeped in experience, working with IP-rich and high-growth industries to leveraging complex technologies and sophisticated commercial models across a broad range of industry sectors.
A full-service IP firm, Mathys & Squire has unrivalled expertise in patents, trademarks, design protection and litigation. Highly ranked in leading legal and IP directories, Mathys & Squire has over 110 years of experience in the protection and commercialisation of IP rights, leading the field with insight, innovation and quality.
Mathys & Squire has over 90 attorneys and a dedicated IP consulting team across offices in London, Birmingham, Cambridge, Manchester, Newcastle, Oxford, York, Luxembourg, Munich and Paris, as well as teams based in Belfast, China and Japan. The firm’s attorneys and trainees have a mix of scientific degrees extending from chemistry, biochemistry, pharmacology, genetics, microbiology, plant sciences and zoology through to physics, electronics, telecommunications and engineering.
Mathys & Squire works with its clients to maximise the value of their IP assets. The firm’s breadth of technical expertise and depth of professional experience are coupled with a determination to add real commercial value, which drives significant revenue growth through the effective use of clients’ intellectual property.
The firm has a broad spread of clients, ranging from start-ups to major UK and global corporations, many of which are household names. Clients of the firm value its commitment to professional excellence and technical expertise.
Through its creative approach, the firm has a successful record of securing the grant of key patents and settling disputes. Client companies without in-house patent departments value the firm’s understanding of their business issues and the importance and commercial value of their intellectual property. Mathys & Squire enjoys excellent relationships with like-minded firms of associates from all over the world.
The Mathys & Squire patents team’s core areas of expertise include:
- identifying intellectual property capable of protection by understanding the client’s technology and business objectives;
- obtaining valuable patent registrations through skilful drafting and powerful advocacy before the world’s patent offices;
- representing clients in disputes and contentious proceedings (especially those of the EPO), drawing wherever necessary upon the expertise of fellow professionals;
- facilitating the commercial exploitation of a client’s intellectual property by way of sale, licence or joint venture; and
- advising clients in relation to their IP strategy and management of their IP portfolios.
Mathys & Squire offers a full range of services across patents, trademarks, designs, litigation and related IP rights, both contentious and non-contentious, working across a spectrum of industries:
- providing strategic management of global patent and trademark portfolios for major corporations;
- advising start-ups in relation to the creation and ownership of IP rights and their commercial exploitation;
- patent and trademark prosecution, including oppositions and appeals, for major corporations;
- providing specialist European (EPO and the EU Intellectual Property Office) expertise to fellow professionals;
- working alongside solicitors and counsel in the United Kingdom, bringing to bear the firm’s complementary skills and experience;
- advising at CEO level on the role of IP rights in revenue generation and asset creation;
- finding paths through third-party patent, trademark or other IP rights, including challenges to validity where appropriate;
- valuation of intellectual assets to assist businesses with a potential sale or initial public offering;
- resolving disputes through various forms of alternative dispute resolution to litigation, whether as the lead firm or as part of a team; and
- bringing specialist IP skills to corporate finance, including due diligence and IP strategy.