Carpmaels & Ransford is pleased to formally welcome German litigation partner Niels Hölder to the firm as of 1st January 2026.
Niels will work alongside German partner Mike Gruber who joined the firm in September 2025. Both partners are based in Carpmaels’ newly expanded Munich office, which continues to grow in response to demand for the firm’s contentious services in Europe, particularly at the Unified Patent Court (UPC).
Niels, formerly of Hoffmann Eitle, has worked with Carpmaels & Ransford for several years on high profile matters, including on Sanofi v Amgen, the first ever UPC revocation action. Niels is a leading patent litigator with more than twenty years’ experience in particular in the life sciences sector.
Head of Dispute Resolution Ian Kirby says, “Germany is an important patent jurisdiction globally, and Niels brings with him a deep knowledge of local proceedings as well as significant experience at the EPO and the UPC. His arrival supports our strategic aim to provide a truly integrated litigation practice which can seamlessly handle disputes across the UPC, EPO, UK and national European courts.”
“Niels is a highly respected litigator, and we’re delighted to welcome him to the Carpmaels Munich office. His combination of strong technical and scientific understanding with extensive litigation experience will be invaluable to our clients”, says Head of the Munich Office Stephen Duffield.
Commenting on his arrival, partner Niels Hölder says, “Having worked alongside Carpmaels for many years, I’ve seen first-hand the strong reputation the firm is building at the UPC. I’m excited to now be part of the team and look forward to supporting our clients in major cross border litigation.”
Carpmaels & Ransford was recently nominated for JUVE Patent’s “UPC Firm of the Year 2026” and was once again ranked as a leading firm for UPC litigation. More than 50 Carpmaels attorneys are deeply involved in active UPC litigation and many more in UPC related advice, including more than 80 qualified UPC representatives and over 30 litigators with experience of national and UPC litigation. The team is currently leading cases in the Munich, Düsseldorf and Paris Local Divisions and in the Munich and Milan branches of the Central Division, as well as at the Court of Appeal.
In addition to this news, the London office has recently announced two new senior associate promotions; Emma Maiden from the Life Sciences practice group and Clarissa Luxton from the Chemistry practice group. Both Emma and Clarissa have worked at the firm from the beginning of their careers as patent attorneys, demonstrating Carpmaels & Ransford’s continued commitment to developing home-grown talent.
