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
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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
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Partner Candy KY Chen is a partner of the international patent department at Tsai Lee & Chen Patent Attorneys & Attorneys at Law. She is a professional engineer, a registered Taiwan patent attorney and a registered US patent agent. Chen specialises in technology-related IP, particularly patent prosecution and invalidation for mechanical, automation and software-related inventions, as well as industrial designs. She is also proficient in administrative litigation proceedings. She has assisted many Fortune 500 corporations in filing and managing their patent portfolios. She also provides legal consultation on patent validity. Chen received her Bachelor’s in mechanical engineering and her Master’s in manufacturing engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles. She also received an LLM in Taiwan. Chen is currently a co-chair of the Design Committee of the APAA Taiwan Group and the TWPAA. Tsai Lee & Chen
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Partner Dr. Susie Cheng is a partner and member of the biotech/pharma group at Leason Ellis. She focuses on all aspects of US and global strategic patent protection, licensing of inventions and monetisation of intellectual property. Her services include due diligence investigation of patent portfolios, products and involvement in legal proceedings for investment, licensing and acquisition opportunities. Cheng’s clients operate in a wide range of technologies including artificial intelligence algorithms in healthcare, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, cannabis, biometric authentication, medical devices and nanotechnology. For clients doing business in China, her fluency in Cantonese and Mandarin Chinese makes her a highly effective advocate. Leason Ellis LLP
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Partner & Trade Mark Attorney Nishi Chetty is a partner and trademark attorney at Adams & Adams. In 2002 and was the first person from a ‘previously disadvantaged background’ to qualify as a trademark practitioner in South Africa. From 2006 to 2013 Nishi sat on the firm’s Management Committee as branch office Chairperson.
Nishi has been recognised by various local and international award bodies for her efforts in business, and as an industry leader with a passion for development, diversity, and inclusion.
Her practice areas include inter alia trademark prosecution and enforcement in South Africa and Africa. Adams & Adams
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
Women In IP
Partner/ Internet Regulation (Legal) Joanna (Joey) co-leads the Women in IP committee for IP Inclusive, the pan-professional body charged with improving D&I across the profession. During her tenure, the Women in IP community has grown to over 1,000 members across the UK IP profession. The committee provides information on relevant issues as well as offering support for women in the profession and tasked itself with advancing the D&I agenda across the profession by making the case for change. It is now in phase two of this plan and is helping the profession implement practical and effective techniques and practices to improve D&I. It organises regular events and networking to help achieve these aims. Deloitte Legal (UK)
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Partner & Trade Mark Attorney Samantha is a consultant and trademark attorney in Adams & Adams’s Trademark Department. She graduated with an LLB from Cape Town University in 1990. She practices in the Trademark Prosecution Department and specialises in clearance searches, all aspects of trademark registration and portfolio management. She advises clients from a wide range of industries. The focus of her work is in South Africa and all African countries. She is a fellow of the South African Institute of Intellectual Property and is a member of the South African Trademark Law Committee, INTA and PTMG. Adams & Adams
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Partner Robert Cumming is dual-qualified as a solicitor and as a trademark attorney. Rob’s background in litigation makes him a great fit for managing the fast-moving and high-volume IP portfolios of large multi-national corporations and global brands, which require careful strategy. He is recognised for his trade mark work in the 2020 editions of IP STARS and WTR 1000.  
His expertise covers a wide range of trade mark issues, including anti-counterfeiting, branding, and licensing in areas such as fashion and beauty, digital technology, retail, and FMCG. Appleyard Lees