Carpmaels & Ransford has once again been ranked in the top tier for patent prosecution in the IAM Patent 1000 rankings. The firm also received a silver ranking for litigation and a recommendation for transactions. This is in addition to a gold tier ranking in the European Patent Office category.
16 partners received individual recognition in the editorial which comments on the firm’s full service expertise and collaborative approach:
According to IAM Patent 1000: With an A-to-Z patent offering, Carpmaels is the full package for market-leading innovators. Close collaboration between its patent attorneys, solicitors and barristers is a hallmark – and one which leads to satisfyingly well-rounded representation. The firm’s EPO oppositions practice is worthy of special mention as one of the best around. Credit in this regard is due to many, including Hugh Goodfellow, James Warner, Cameron Marshall, Edward Oates and Harvey Adams and Daniel Wise who – together with Mark Chapman – form the backbone of a world-class life sciences practice. Goodfellow gives “clear and precise advice” and has a “talent for resolving matters without recourse to expensive litigation”. Warner provides strong leadership to the pharmaceutical team and to clients. Hailed for his forward-thinking approach, Marshall has been putting in a sterling performance for Jazz Pharmaceuticals of late; while Oates is a foremost authority on SPC law and is known for his work with Johnson & Johnson, whose Zytiga prostate cancer treatment he has protected in Europe for the past decade. A fierce advocate whose strategies are perfectly suited to complex litigation with parallel proceedings, Adams was recently instructed by Biogen to represent it in the neuroscience field. Wise on the other hand is a protein therapeutics, vaccine technology, and medicinal chemistry ace who has recently been called upon by LEO Pharma to act in a range of oppositions and draft complex filing strategies in relation to its “Picato” product. The ensemble’s top pure-play biotechnology expert, Chapman recently linked up with transactions ace Jake Marshall to help Harbour BioMed execute a patent and know-how licensing agreement with Abbvie to commercialise an antibody for the treatment of covid-19 – a great example of the inter-practice cooperation that is so essential to the firm’s success. Marshall “communicates with crystal clarity and focuses on the key issues. His work is extremely thorough”. Portfolio curator Paul Bettridge steps in when companies need to protect innovations in crossover areas such as electrochemical molecular diagnostics and bioelectronics; while Christopher Tunstall’s 30 years at the patent coalface inform his strategic management of vast portfolios for the likes of Johnson & Johnson. Chemist Susan Kirsch maintains a busy and diverse EPO oppositions practice and recently appeared in several proceedings on behalf of Ethicon in relation to its portfolio of medical device patents; while John Brunner focuses on IT and telecommunications, and recently took on the guardianship of Barclays Bank’s burgeoning fintech portfolio. On the litigation side, 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. The similarly experienced David Wilson knows both the life sciences and telecommunications fields like the back of his hand; his practice is further enhanced by an academic and industrial background in chemistry. Also litigating within the life sciences realm are Camilla Balleny and Jennifer Antcliff: Balleny has been leading on the UK component of a pan-European patent dispute on behalf of Ceva Santé Animal Health; while molecular biology PhD Antcliff is a newcomer to both the IAM Patent 1000 and the Carpmaels partnership, with valuable in-house insight from a stint at Allergan.
