Potter Clarkson has secured prominent placing in IAM Patent 1000: The World's Leading Patent Professionals 2020 - a prestigious guide that identifies the top patent professionals in key jurisdictions around the globe, following a rigorous research process.
Experts from the firm feature in all three tables, including litigation, transactions, and prosecution.
With a stellar reputation for patent prosecution, the firm is well-represented in this area by Richard Basset, Ray Charig, Charlotte Crowhurst, Ian Dee, Peter Finnie, Saiful Khan, Stephen McNeeney and Fiona Stevens.
Oliver Laing and Mark Snelgrove are new entrants to the guide this year, both securing a place in the transactions table, Oliver also features in litigation rankings.
The value the firm delivers to clients by providing integrated teams of specialists was highlighted by the publication:
"Potter Clarkson has many strings to its bow, as evidenced by its inclusion in all three IAM Patent 1000 tables this year. Crucially, however, it conceives of itself as a single team, with patent attorneys regularly pairing up with solicitors to best serve the specific requirements of each brief. This integrated approach goes down a storm with clients."
The publication went on to describe the calibre of the firm’s experts:
"The prosecution division consists of an all-star line-up of patent attorneys, including Richard Bassett, Stephen McNeeney and Ian Dee, all of whom all have vast experience in oppositions and appeals before the EPO.
"Dee boasts valuable in-house insight, having started his career in a large multinational chemical corporation; McNeeney is a life sciences strategist with a cosmopolitan perspective; and biochemist Bassett has walked the corridors of the firm since 1986. Working alongside them, computer and software boffin Ray Charig “quickly comes up to speed with complex technologies and is sensitive to business objectives when developing patent strategies”; clients suggest that “his attention to detail has rubbed off on his colleagues."
"Saiful Khan is “a delight to work with because he is very responsive, sharp, warm and honest”, while Charlotte Crowhurst has the Midas touch with Asian businesses – she frequently hosts seminars for leading players in China, Korea and Taiwan to provide guidance on protecting inventions in the European market.
"Recognised for his “extensive technical and commercial expertise”, Peter Finnie is a “leader in the field” who works with a long and growing list of European start-ups, advising them on the development of their IP strategies. Alongside Fiona Stevens, he is a valuable lateral hire for Potter Clarkson – the technically astute practitioners should bring in a slew of new instructions in the months and years to come. Whereas Finnie’s forte is engineering, Stevens is hailed for her pharmaceutical expertise, in particular with regard to SPCs. One client reports: “Fiona is a delightful person to know and has proven very effective in guiding our overall patent strategy. I can unequivocally say that she is the best patent agent I have worked with in over 45 years in the industry.”
"On the contentious front, Oliver Laing has got it all: “outstanding technical ability under constant time pressures”, a “strategic commercial approach” and the “ability to deal with the anxieties of clients in a professionally empathetic manner”. He also shares a busy transactional practice with colleague Mark Snelgrove, a skilled interpreter of agreements and legislation whose communications are clear and concise."
The IAM Patent 1000 has become the definitive directory exclusively dedicated to identifying the world’s leading patent services providers. The extensive research process for the guide is conducted over several months by a team of full-time analysts and involves more than 1,700 interviews with patent specialists across the globe. Legal and attorney firms and individual practitioners qualify for inclusion in the IAM Patent 1000 upon receiving sufficient positive feedback from market sources.
