Leaders Directory
WIPR Leaders is a one-stop guide to the leading IP practitioners in the world. The handbook lists over 2,500 lawyers across patent, trademark, and copyright practices. Following an extensive nomination period, our research team vetted the nominated lawyers for suitability by exploring their work. This meant looking at practice history, industry expertise and notable cases, as well as any additional activities, such as writing and teaching responsibilities, which have allowed the lawyers to shape and influence other and future IP practitioners.
Featured Leaders
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Partner Rob Rodrigues manages high-stakes business and intellectual property disputes in Brazil. He assists FORTUNE 500 companies and startups in matters requiring complex technical ability with strategic approach. Rob is managing patent portfolios of the largest life sciences and telecommunications companies in the planet. His understanding of the Brazilian market makes him a “go-to” lawyer when dealing with enforcement measures. Rob is an experienced attorney and acts as lead counsel in several preliminary injunction proceedings and patent trials. In addition, Rob assists clients with the largest transactions involving IP assets. His litigation-oriented mindset adds value when managing cross border risks. His clients praise his technical skills, his ability to perform under pressure and his outstanding leadership in the local community. He has also published articles in technology law journals around the world and is currently an editor of the Kluwer Patent Blog. Licks Attorneys
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Partner Henry Gabathuler is a partner in the Patent and Litigation Practice Group at Leason Ellis, where he counsels clients ranging from start-ups to Fortune 100 companies on all aspects of patent prosecution, litigation, and intellectual property portfolio development and licensing. Henry is a registered patent attorney and has extensive experience securing patent protection in the U.S. and worldwide. He also handles patent, trademark, copyright, antitrust and general business litigation matters, at both the district court and appellate court levels and often in a leading role. He counsels clients in a variety of industries including computer hardware and software, oil and gas, consumer electronics, telecommunications and medical technologies. Leason Ellis LLP
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Partner/Attorney at Law/Trademark Agent As a partner and director of the international trademark department of Unitalen Attorneys at Law, Lei (Ray) Zhao has accumulated extensive practical experience in trademark prosecution and IP enforcement.
Zhao works as a legal consultant providing IP services for many listed companies, famous domestic companies, public figures and multinational clients in litigation and non-litigation cases regarding patents, trademarks, unfair competition, trade secrets, domain names and network infringements.
He also counsels clients on IP strategy and IP infringement issues. Unitalen Attorneys At Law
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Partner and Patent Attorney In his activity as patent attorney, Jan works in the fields of materials science and basic industry (metallurgy, metal processing, ceramics, glass, building materials, plastics processing, industrial furnace design),as well as the technical sector in General and inorganic chemistry. In legal matters Jan has a special interest in contract law, in particular licensing and legal purchase agreements. He also has extensive dealings in opposition, nullity and infringement proceedings.
As a German Patent attorney and as well as a European Patent Trade mark and Design Attorney of course another field of interest is trade mark and design/model law.
Jan has many years of experience in the field of industrial property protection (since 1996). He completed his training in a patent and legal attorneys’ office, in the German Patent and Trade mark Office and at the German Federal Patent Court. Afterwards Jan worked in a Munich attorneys’ office before becoming a co-founder of a Munich patent and legal attorneys’ office in 2002.
In 2013 Jan became founding Partner of Patronus IP in Munich. From March 1 he's Partner at HGF Europe LLP.
Prior to training as a patent attorney, Jan studied Material Sciences at the Technical University of Clausthal. In the course of the studies he gained experience in the glass industry, the cement and construction materials industry, and the refractory industry. HGF
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Chief International Marketing & Development Officer, Vice President Vice President, Licensing & Litigation Management
Chief International Development and Marketing Officer
Purplevine IP Group
China Purplevine IP Group
Women In IP
Partner Ashley has been practicing Chinese IP law since 2005 and was admitted to the PRC Bar in 2008. She is regularly involved in both contentious and non-contentious IP matters, specialising in trademark, copyright, domain name, Internet law and anti-unfair competition matters. Ashley has extensive experience before the China Trademark Office and the Trademark Review and Adjudication Board. Her client base includes international corporations from a wide range of industries. Ashley handles intellectual property transactions and licensing, as well as regulatory matters that affect a brand owner’s business operations in mainland China. She provides advice on domain name disputes, IP strategy and IPR enforcement with regards to online take-downs, AIC raid actions and litigation in China. AWA Asia Ltd
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Partner Simon Bradbury is a partner at Appleyard Lees, focusing on patents in the life sciences and biotechnology sectors. His broad expertise includes artificial intelligence and machine learning in drug discovery, medical devices, and microbiology. He has advised clients in matters relating to oppositions, appeals, infringement, revocations, and invalidity actions. His clients include large multinationals as well as startup companies. Appleyard Lees
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Partner Christian W. Appelt focuses on the counselling of SMEs in Germany and Europe in all aspects of intellectual property, especially patents and utility models, and on representing and advising large, internationally active companies, especially from Japan, China and the US. He has been a member of the Board of the German chapter of LES since 2010, acting as President from 2018 to 2020, and now being member of the Advisory Board of LES Germany. He represents his clients at the German patent authorities and courts, as well as at the European Patent Office (EPO) and at the UPC. Boehmert & Boehmert
Women In IP
Managing partner Laura Collada has more than 30 years’ experience in IP and is a managing partner at Dumont, where she has worked since 2000. She has taught copyright and industrial property law at various universities in Mexico City. She also worked as a director of the sub-office for the prevention of unfair competition at the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property.
Collada focuses her practice in the areas of fashion, media and telecommunications. She has written for World IP Review and is a member of INTA, Marques, AIPPI and ECTA. Dumont Bergman Bider & Co
Total results: 2325
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Partner & Trade Mark Attorney Simon is a partner and trademark attorney. His practice focuses largely on clearance investigations, filing and prosecution of trademark cases and trademark portfolio management throughout Africa and internationally.
Simon is responsible for the development of the firms’ Africa Practice and Chairs the Africa Strategy Committee as well as the Africa IP Committee.
As well as being a lecturer in International Trademark Law for SAIIPL (South African Institute of Intellectual Property Law), Simon is actively involved in a number of committees for both SAIIPL and INTA (International Trademark Association).” Adams & Adams
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Partner | Trade Mark Attorney Godfrey Budeli is a partner in the Trademark and Copyright Litigation Section, and head of the Anti-Counterfeiting and Anti-Piracy team. He holds an LLB degree from the University of Pretoria and an LLM degree from the University of Cape Town. His area of speciality includes Customs recordals and training of law enforcement officials, border and in-market enforcement, in-market survey and in-depth investigations, parallel or grey goods and online enforcement, civil litigation and supporting criminal prosecution, watching brief in relation to Anti-Counterfeiting on the African continent.
He served on the firm’s Management Committee as the diversity representative for four years. Adams & Adams
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Senior Partner - Legal Director Juan Carlos Amaro is an attorney-at-law with a postgraduate degree in Constitutional Law and IP law at the Universidad Panamericana. Becerril Coca & Becerril SC
Women In IP
Managing Partner Eleonora joined Jacobacci & Partners in 2006 in Italy and transferred to the Madrid offices in 2011, where she manages the Spanish practice of the firm and heads the trademark division.
She heads Jacobacci’s LATAM Desk, aimed at strengthening business relationships in the Latin American jurisdictions.
Eleonora manages worldwide and national portfolios, particularly in the fashion and luxury sector, foodstuffs, wine, banking and entertainment.
She is the author of numerous publications on trademark topics and gives presentations in conferences. She also regularly lectures at Spanish post-graduate law schools on specific IP topics. Jacobacci & Partners
Women In IP
Founding Partner Vivien Chan is the founding and senior partner of Vivien Chan & Co, a Greater China law firm with offices in Hong Kong and Beijing. She has more than 40 years of experience in M&A, China direct investment, corporate services, employment, information technology, IP and related tax issues. Vivien Chan & Co
Women In IP
Founding Partner, Attorney at Law, Trademark Agent Named the World's Leading Intellectual Property Lawyer by Chambers & Partners, founding partner Spring Chang is a razor-sharp IP attorney who has advised and represented hundreds of major electronics, consumer, pharmaceutical, apparel and jewelry companies in the Chinese market, as well as Chinese companies overseas. Chang Tsi & Partners
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Partner Sudeep Chatterjee joined Singh & Singh in 2005 as an associate. In 2012, when the firm was restructured into an LLP, he became a partner. He handles all infringement matters relating to copyright, trademarks and domain-related issues, including the filing of UDRP complaints, and has dealt with various high-profile cases.
Chatterjee was a part of the Parliamentary Standing Committee which was constituted to look into the Copyright Amendment Bill, 2010. He advises the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade on copyright-related issues and is on its panel.
Chatterjee is the President of the Asian Patent Attorneys Association (Indian Group). Singh & Singh Law Firm LLP
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Managing Partner Mr. Chaudry is among one of the most "pre-eminent names" in Intellectual Property Laws in India and Managing partner of the leading law firm Rahul Chaudry & Partners. He has carved a niche for himself by becoming a leader in the practive of IP in India due to his strong grasp of law and providing innovative solutions in line with legal realities.
His comprehensive repertoire in management and enforecement of IP rights, extensive experience in assessing strategic innovation and legal implications enables him to advise his clients (Indian and overseas) on a range of issues and transactions relating to IP prosecution, enforcement, litigation strategies, portfolio audits, due diligence for acquisitions / divestitures, developing strategies for acquiring, enforcing, maintaining and assigning IP, International Registrations under the Madrid, design patent, copyright, unfair competition, investigations, negotiations vis-a-vis prior third party rights, implementing global filing strategies, corporate IP transactions agreements. 
Mr. Chaudry considers business sensitivities and goals while crafting comprehensive intellectual property protection and enforcement strategies, both short and long term, so that clients can secure and maximize the value of their critical intellectual property assets. This has earned him immense trust of global industry giants in assisting them in protecting and furthering their business goals.  Rahul Chaudhry & Partners
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Partner Haim’s expertise covers patent matters in the fields of physics, computer science, software, communications and electronic engineering, with a particular focus on cyber security.
He has prosecuted and advised on many advanced-technology patents, such as wireless transmitters, power-amplifies, malware detection, and artificial intelligence.
Other areas of expertise include medical devices, lasers, optical communication, semiconductors, and power electronics. He is also very experienced in challenging software-related inventions.
He qualified as a Patent Attorney in 1999 and joined Luzzatto and Luzzatto as a Partner in 2001. The Luzzatto Group
Women In IP
Partner, attorney at law Crystal Chen is a partner at Tsai, Lee & Chen and her practice focuses on patents, trademarks, copyright, trade dress, IP enforcement, litigation, dispute resolution strategies and other China-related matters. Her clientele consists of a variety of domestic and multinational corporates. Chen is a member of the Bars of Beijing and New York State. She is also the chair of delegates for independent members of AIPPI. She co-chaired the AIPPI study question for the protection of graphical user interface in Sydney in 2017. Tsai Lee & Chen