Cambridge-based Philip Martin (Marks & Clerk LLP) is a ‘superb attorney with an amazing ability to grasp subtle inventions and turn around drafting quickly’, making him ‘first choice for the most time-sensitive projects’
- Marks & Clerk LLP ranks in top tier of patent prosecution firms
- Marks & Clerk Solicitors LLP in silver tier of patent litigation firms
The guide gave particular accolades to Marks & Clerk LLP, which achieved a top-tier ranking, to Marks & Clerk Solicitors LLP, which was placed in the silver tier after just 12 years of existence, and to individual partners from across the Group: Cambridge-based attorney Philip Martin, and solicitors Gregor Grant, William Cook, Mike Gilbert and Graham Burnett-Hall.
Marks & Clerk LLP – an ‘immense powerhouse’
The Group’s firm of patent and trade mark attorneys was listed in the top tier of Highly Recommended firms for prosecution work.
An extract from the guide describes Marks & Clerk LLP: “’Immense powerhouse’ Marks & Clerk ‘has been around forever and has great kudos and heritage.’ It leverages its unmatched breadth and depth to consolidate an enviable position among patent attorney firms.”
Marks & Clerk Solicitors LLP – an ‘ability to go toe to toe with top-rated peers’
The Group’s firm of patent and trade mark solicitors, founded in March 2000, was ranked in the silver tier of Recommended firms for litigation firms. The guide cites its stream of “big-ticket mandates” and the favourable verdicts for Virgin Media both at first instance and in the Court of Appeal in Virgin Media v Gemstar/Rovi it has secured, which have case “a significant influence over parallel litigation and negotiations in Europe.”
An extract from the guide describes Marks & Clerk Solicitors LLP: “The complexity of the dispute and cross-border coordination spanning Germany, France, Switzerland and the Netherlands demonstrate its ability to go toe to toe with top-rated peers… Sources point to the firm’s broad spread of knowledge across scientific disciplines, its focus on intellectual property and its scale as factors contributing to its ability to ‘always instil great confidence’ and win big cases.”
Recognition of individual partners’ efforts
The report also credited the calibre of individual partners within the Group:
“Cambridge-based Philip Martin (Marks & Clerk LLP) is a ‘superb attorney with an amazing ability to grasp subtle inventions and turn around drafting quickly’, making him ‘first choice for the most time-sensitive projects’.
“Veteran litigator Gregor Grant (Marks & Clerk Solicitors LLP) has recently been seen on significant medical device issues. William Cook (Marks & Clerk Solicitors LLP) has gone from strength to strength since joining in 2010 from Simmons & Simmons. He is seen as ‘a very credible threat’ by courtroom opponents and recently proved his mettle in cases for SanDisk and the Virgin Media instruction.
“Mike Gilbert (Marks & Clerk Solicitors LLP) played a key role in Medimmune Ltd v Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK Ltd. ‘Bright up-andcomer’ Graham Burnett-Hall (Marks & Clerk Solicitors LLP) is another highly rated member of the team.”
The Group has offices throughout the UK in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Cambridge, Oxford, Cheltenham, Leicester and Aberdeen. It also has offices in France, Luxembourg, Canada, Hong Kong, China, Malaysia, Singapore and Australia.
Marks & Clerk’s Hong Kong firm achieved a top Gold Tier ranking. Its French firm, Marks & Clerk France snc was recommended in licensing and prosecution, with a personal mention for office managing partner Christian Nguyen-van-Yen.
Keith Hodkinson, chairman of the Marks & Clerk Group commented: “This is ringing endorsement of the whole Marks & Clerk Group; an independent testament to the expertise of our Partners as well as the strength, quality, and breadth of our services. Our attorney practice continues to lead the field, both at home but also internationally, with our Hong Kong and France offices having been awarded special recognition. That our UK Solicitors firm also received such accolades is remarkable given that it is a relatively young entrant into the legal sector.
“The rankings are a vindication of Marks & Clerk’s commitment to its clients at a time when intellectual property is becoming more commercially vital than ever to a host of sectors. We fully intend to maintain and build upon this level of performance going forward.”
About the Marks & Clerk Group
www.marks-clerk.com
The Marks & Clerk Group consists of several individual firms offering a range of intellectual property services: Marks & Clerk LLP, one of the world's leading firms of patent and trade mark attorneys, Marks & Clerk Solicitors LLP, launched in 2000 and Marks & Clerk Consulting LLP, launched in 2012.
With a network of 18 offices across the UK (10 locations), Europe, North America, the Far East and Australia, and long-established relationships with other leading IP firms worldwide, the Group is able to meet clients' IP requirements on a local and global basis.
Marks & Clerk firms have been consistently ranked in the top tiers in the UK for both patents and trade marks in the Managing Intellectual Property Annual Worldwide Survey, the Intellectual Asset Management guide to the sector and the Legal 500 and Chambers Directories.
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If you would like to speak to a partner at one of the Marks & Clerk Group’s constituent firms, please contact:
Richard Holme / James Reynolds
Lansons Communications
tel. +44 (0) 20 7490 8828
richardho@lansons.com / jamesr@lansons.com
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