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)

Jenny joined Carpmaels & Ransford from her role as IP Litigation Counsel at Actavis/Allergan, where she handled high-profile patent cases such as Actavis v ICOS (tadalafil) and the LYRICA® (pregabalin) litigation – the first case before the UK Courts in which infringement of a second medical use patent was put in issue. Actavis successfully resisted an interim injunction and any findings of infringement at trial.

Jenny trained and qualified at a magic circle firm after obtaining а first class honours degree in biochemistry from Imperial College, London, and а doctorate in molecular and structural biology from the University of Oxford.