Women in Business Law Awards EMEA 2023

Congratulations to PG’s Bethan Hopewell who received Life Sciences Lawyer of the Year at the 2023 Women in Business Law Awards EMEA. Fantastic news – and very well deserved! See full list of winners here

Winners – Managing IP EMEA Awards 2023

PG are delighted to receive the Patent Disputes Law Firm of the Year UK (England) award at the Managing IP Awards Dinner last night & to receive an Impact Case of the Year award for their work on GW Pharma v Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. Congrats to team PG & to all the winners.

IAM Patent 1000 2023 – Gold (Top Tier) UK Litigation

We’re thrilled PG has again been ranked Gold – Top Tier for UK: England & Wales : Litigation in IAM Patent 1000 2023 together with 13 of our partners listed as recommended individuals.

Thank you to everyone on the team for the outstanding work throughout the year!

Find out more: here.

Powell Gilbert involved in several cases filed on day 1 of the UPC

19 cases were filed on the first day of the UPC. We are proud to be acting in a significant number of them, including the first two cases filed in the Nordic-Baltic Regional Division, the first case filed in the Milan Local Division, and cases in the German local divisions. We look forward to working with our friends across Europe to represent clients in the UPC, combining the best of local expertise with our track record in coordinating technically complex pan-European patent litigation. 

IP Law firm Powell Gilbert launches office in Ireland

Dublin presence consolidates the firm’s role in the UPC

LONDON, 30 May 2023: Leading IP law firm Powell Gilbert today announces the launch of a new office in Dublin to support the firm’s work in advising and representing clients before the Unified Patent Court (UPC). This will complement the firm’s existing practice which has a preeminent reputation for UK patent litigation and for developing and implementing Europe-wide patent litigation strategies for its clients.

The Unified Patent Court Agreement was signed in February 2013 by 25 EU member states, including the Republic of Ireland. The UPC will officially launch on 1 June 2023. It creates a single patent jurisdiction across a significant portion of the European market. An initial 17 EU member states are initially participating, with a further seven countries still to ratify. The Irish Government has confirmed its intention to participate in the UPC and Unitary Patent system and will hold a referendum to ratify the UPC Agreement later this year or in 2024. 

The firm will operate in Ireland as Powell Gilbert (Europe) LLP, with each of the firm’s 14 partners admitted to practice in Ireland.  Lawyers authorised to practice in Ireland will be able to represent clients in the UPC.

Powell Gilbert will continue to work closely with its extensive network of leading European IP litigators. Working alongside local counsel, the firm will bring to bear its wealth of patent litigation experience, and access to a deep bench of technically qualified lawyers, to build the best teams to implement bespoke UPC strategies, bearing in mind the potential to litigate across the various national, regional, and central divisions of the UPC.

Dr Penny Gilbert, partner at Powell Gilbert, commented:

“As a leading independent IP law firm, we have built a reputation for partnering with the highest calibre patent litigators across Europe to deliver solutions for clients in complex international litigation.

“Our Irish office represents the next logical step in this approach. It enables us to combine our extensive patent litigation and European co-ordination expertise, technical strength and depth of knowledge with the support of local counsel to create the optimal teams for our clients’ European litigation strategies, both within the UPC and across non-UPC countries.

“It has always been our intention to participate fully in the UPC, which we believe is of enormous strategic importance to clients. We are actively working with clients on their UPC strategies and filings in preparation for the UPC start date.”

Alex Wilson, partner at Powell Gilbert, commented:

“We are looking forward to handling UPC litigation from our Dublin office when the court rooms open their doors. This comes after years of our active involvement in the development of the system – inputting into the rules of the court and advocates’ code of conduct and the training of judges through EPLAW.”

LMG Life Sciences Awards 2023 EMEA – Shortlists Announced

Shortlist announced – LMG Life Sciences Awards 2023 EMEA. Wonderful news! PG and the team shortlisted for 9 awards! Congratulations to all those shortlisted! Further information here.

  • Patent Litigator Firm of the Year: Biologics / Biosimilars, Biotech, Medical Devices, Pharmaceuticals
  • Patent Litigator of the Year: Biologics & Biosimilars – Zoe Butler
  • Patent Litigator of the Year: Biotech – Penny Gilbert
  • Patent Litigator of the Year: Medical Devices – Tim Powell
  • Patent Litigator of the Year: Pharmaceuticals – Bethan Hopewell
  • Intellectual Property Rising Star: Tess Waldron