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.
Highly recommended - Individuals: transactions
The market is in unanimous agreement that Bristows should remain in position in the IAM Patent 1000 gold tier in 2022. Though the firm is known for its life sciences litigation prowess, it knocks it out of the park across the board, with SEP and FRAND cases in the high-technology field emerging as a second focus. One recent highlight has been its high-profile work for IPCom & Co against Vodafone, Lenovo, Xiaomi and HTC in relation to the former’s SEP, and leading the charge there are Richard Pinckney and Myles Jelf, both of whom are well versed in FRAND disputes. Pinckney reportedly “has an excellent knowledge of the pharma industry, is always available when needed, and well understands commercial topics”, while solicitor advocate Jelf has been routinely running parallel disputes in the European Union and United States for over a decade and jointly heads the patent litigation department. Alongside him is Andrew Bowler, who practises across the industry spectrum but is perhaps best known for acting in leading cases, including the recent, hotly discussed Unwired Planet/Conversant case. Key life sciences clients of late include Teva and Regeneron, as well as Novartis. Acting for the former pair are Brian Cordery and Rob Burrows, while Novartis has been assisted by Gregory Bacon, and Rachel Mumby has played a part in both battles. The “fantastically clever” Cordery has been fighting for pharmaceutical originators for more than 20 years and is a master of global litigation strategy, whereas Burrows puts his PhD in molecular genetics to use in multi-jurisdictional patent and SPC disputes. Bacon likewise has a technical background – in neuroscience – and is similarly a master of pan-global strategy, while Mumby enters the IAM Patent 1000 this year thanks to a reputation earned across a decade of sector-diverse patent litigation. Owing to her chemistry background, chemical and life sciences cases are her speciality. Also adept in the life sciences are Dominic Adair, Gemma Barrett and Liz Cohen. Adair’s academic background in natural sciences plays well into his work litigating patents, SPCs and anti-trust issues – his competitors describe him as an “outstanding practitioner”. Barrett receives similar praise: “She gets to know and understand the complexities of a case very well and is efficient and responsive despite tight timelines and challenges.” The 20-years-experienced Cohen meanwhile benefits from qualification as a solicitor advocate and most recently has been representing Italian pharmaceutical innovator Chiesi Farmaceutici in pan-European litigation. For telecommunications, electronics, aeronautics and energy disputes, James Boon is the one to call – he has a doctorate in optoelectronics and a background in physics, and is also a valued adviser on issues surrounding the impending UPC. Taking care of transactional matters are Matthew Warren, Richard Dickinson and Claire Smith. Warren heads the commercial IP group and negotiates transactions involving new technologies – his physics background makes it easy for him to get his head around almost any subject matter. Dickinson’s academic background is in biochemistry, though his industry expertise is far broader, thanks to having negotiated cross-border IP transactions for 25 years. Smith’s special insight comes from the time she spent working for Abbott Laboratories before beginning her legal career. According to one source: “She focused on our objectives, working with a can-do, solution-based approach. I was impressed with her knowledge, attention to detail and quickturnaround.”