Simmons & Simmons

Firm overview:

Simmons & Simmons have strengthened their contentious patent offering through sustained investment in life sciences, healthtech and European litigation. Long associated with the development of the Unified Patent Court, the practice is now pairing that institutional knowledge with a broader disputes capability. While some competitors questioned aspects of the team’s recent litigation profile, the firm’s client base and international platform continue to support their promotion within the rankings.

Team overview:

The practice brings together litigators, patent attorneys and transactional specialists to advise on disputes where patents sit alongside licensing, regulation and broader commercial strategy. Joel Smith and Scott Parker are important figures within that mix, particularly for patent litigation growth and life sciences disputes, but the team’s wider value lies in their ability to support pharmaceutical and technology clients on strategically significant matters with several moving parts.

Scott Parker is highly regarded for pharmaceutical and medical device disputes, especially matters involving coordinated European litigation. His experience in technically complex proceedings makes him an important figure within the firm’s life sciences practice, and his omission from the proposed rankings sits uneasily with the firm’s wider promotion.

A notable departure from Simmons & Simmons over the past year was Kevin Cordina, who has joined Carpmaels & Ransford as a partner, bringing his extensive patent prosecution expertise in electronics and telecommunications and further strengthening Carpmaels’ engineering and technology practice.