Welcome to the third edition of the WIPR UK Trademarks Rankings for 2026, which recognises the leading firms and practitioners across both Contentious and Non-Contentious practice areas.
The UK market has witnessed profound legal and commercial shifts over the past year. A defining trend is the rise of bad faith challenges following the Supreme Court’s Sky v SkyKick decision, alongside the post-Brexit "great pruning" of the UK register as businesses rationalise duplicated and unused rights. Additionally, the intersection of trademark law and generative AI is actively defining new jurisprudence, prominently featured in the revolutionary Getty Images v Stability AI High Court litigation. Brands are also aggressively combating the "dupe" economy and lookalike packaging, fuelled by the Court of Appeal's ruling in Thatchers v Aldi and the landmark post-sale confusion principles established in the Supreme Court's Iconix v Dream Pairs judgment.
For 2026, clients increasingly demand integrated, "360-degree" counsel that seamlessly blends global portfolio strategy with high-stakes enforcement. Several firms and individuals excel across both divides. White & Case has emerged as a new powerhouse, with David Stone widely lauded by peers as an "Outstanding" practitioner for both litigation and non-contentious strategy. Mishcon de Reya remains a dominant force, pairing the contentious might of David Rose and Jeremy Hertzog with the "Outstanding" portfolio management of Sally Britton. Bird & Bird continues to set the benchmark as an "Outstanding" full-service firm, deploying Peter Brownlow and Ewan Grist for contentious disputes. Finally, Appleyard Lees showcases how traditional attorney practices are successfully combining high-volume prosecution with top-tier litigation capabilities.
Non-Contentious
Outstanding
Nick Bolter, Morgan Lewis & Bockius
Sally Britton, Mishcon de Reya
Robert Cumming, Appleyard Lees
Highly Recommended
Rachel Alexander, Wiggin
Arthur Artinian, K&L Gates
Peter Brownlow, Bird & Bird
Peter Dawson, Wiggin
Charlotte Duly, D Young & Co
Alistair Gay, Keltie
Hastings Guise, Fieldfisher
Andy King, Mewburn Ellis
Kerry Lee, Squire Patton Boggs
Claire Lehr, Edwin Coe
Stuart Lester, Mishcon de Reya
Giles Parsons, Browne Jacobson
Gareth Price, Murgitroyd
Beverley Robinson, Appleyard Lees
Tom Scourfield, CMS
Iain Stewart, Kilburn & Strode
Julius Stobbs, Stobbs
Rowena Tolley, Kilburn & Strode
Clare Turnbull, Venner Shipley
Recommended
Catherine Adam, K&L Gates
Anne Bashir, Murgitroyd
Nick Bowie, Lewis Silkin
Callum Burbidge, Squire Patton Boggs
Mark Caddle, Withers & Rogers
Louisa Chambers, Travers Smith
Éamon Chawke, Briffa
Marcus Collins, Keystone Law
Rachel Conroy, Boult Wade Tennant
Steven Lane, Abion
Joanne Lecky, Murgitroyd
Stephen Lowry, Brandsmiths
Jade MacIntyre, Lewis Silkin
Darren Meale, Simmons & Simmons
Adam Morallee, Brandsmiths
Aaron Newell, J A Kemp
Louis Pittortou, Barker Brettell
William Sander, Keystone Law
Steve Waine, Murgitroyd
Lucy Walker, Barker Brettell
Laura West, Springbird IP
Rosie Westley, Travers Smith
Catherine Wiseman, Barker Brettell
Catherine Wolfe, Boult Wade Tennant
Notable
Amritjot Jethwa, Appleyard Lees
Amanda McDowall, Lee & Thompson
Sara Witton, Bristows
Contentious
Outstanding
Jeremy Blum, Bristows
John Coldham, Gowling WLG
Ewan Grist, Bird & Bird
Andrew Lee, Brandsmiths
David Rose, Mishcon de Reya
Tom Scourfield, CMS
David Stone, White & Case
Highly Recommended
Arthur Artinian, K&L Gates
Simon Ayrton, Powell Gilbert
Nick Bolter, Morgan Lewis & Bockius
Peter Brownlow, Bird & Bird
Matthew Dick, D Young & Co
Michael Forrester, Brandsmiths
Jeremy Hertzog, Mischon de Reya
Tamsin Holman, D Young & Co
Rob Jacob, Stephenson Harwood
Claire Lehr, Edwin Coe
Darren Meale, Simmons & Simmons
Steve Palmer, Palmer Biggs IP
Arty Rajendra, Osborne Clarke
Anna Reid, D Young & Co
Nick Rose, Fieldfisher
James Seadon, Fieldfisher
Recommended
Rebecca Anderson-Smith, Mewburn Ellis
Ian Bartlett, Beck Greener
Rosie Burbidge, Howard Kennedy
Neville Cordell, A&O Shearman
Felicity Hide, Boult Wade Tennant
Sean Ibbetson, Bristows
Stephen Lowry, Brandsmiths
Tommy McKenna, Fieldfisher
James Tumbridge, Keystone Law
Alex Wilson, Powell Gilbert
Notable
Sophie Turner-Flynn, Brandsmiths
Leela Wignaraja, Brandsmiths
