WIPR Leaders
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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Partner, Trademark attorney, LLM Ms. Jia Li is a trademark attorney and partner of Chofn IP. She has considerable experience in trademark prosecution matters. Her practice covers trademark application, opposition, invalidation, corporate IP strategy and portfolio management to Customs border interception and copyright registration. The clarity of her advice always gives the clients a very clear road map, easy to understand and follow. Many clients have described her as giving 'fantastic assistance,' 'impeccable' with quality and consistency. Chofn Intellectual Property
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Partner, Trademark Attorney, Attorney-at-Law Ms. Haiyu Li passed the Chinese bar in 2009 and obtained the lawyer's license in 2013. Before joining Chofn in 2013, Ms. Li worked in two other Chinese firms. Now, she is partner, trademark attorney and attorney-at-law at Chofn IP. Ms. Li advises on brand protection and strategy and is experienced in dealing with cases on copyright, domain name and unfair competition. She represents a wide variety of local, multi-national and foreign-owned businesses across a broad array of industries.
Ms. Li serves on INTA's Bulletins Committee. She has contributed many articles to various IP media and has a flair for presenting complex topics in a way that is easily understood and makes sense from a business perspective. Chofn Intellectual Property
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Partner Otto Licks is a founding partner at Licks Attorneys, a Brazilian law firm with over 300 people among its five offices in Brazil and Japan, as well as a German Desk. Otto is an expert on complex litigation and policy making, with 30 years of experience representing international clients in life sciences (small molecules, biologicals, agrochemicals and medical devices), telecom, electronics and internet. He has established a reputation as a trial and appellate practice specialist, focusing on preliminary and permanent injunctions and monetization (damages and licensing), advising clients primarily on patent, trade secrets, unfair competition and regulatory data exclusivity, government procurement, food and drug and regulatory of telecom and internet. Licks Attorneys
Women In IP
Chief Executive Officer & Principal Counsel Ai-Leen Lim leads AWA Asia’s offices as chief executive officer and principal counsel, managing its headquarters in Hong Kong and its wholly-owned Chinese IP consultancy in Beijing. She is an advocate and solicitor in Singapore and is qualified to practise in Hong Kong and the UK. For more than 23 years, she has advised clients on IP portfolio management in China, Hong Kong and internationally, with a special focus on brand management and IP strategy. She is experienced in contentious and non-contentious trademark, design and patent registration, protection and enforcement matters. Expertise: anti-counterfeiting, food and beverage, patents, retail, trademark, trademark infringement. AWA Asia Ltd
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Consultant Bill Lister has a wide range of experience advising UK, US, European and global clients, with a substantial reputation spanning branding issues, registered and unregistered trademarks, copyright, design, patents and trade secrets. He advises a number of global household names, in conjunction with public and private companies, and public sector organisations. He has established himself as a specialist within his field, with his involvement in high profile cases such as Nike & Rugby Football Union v Cotton Traders and Scoredraw v Finch allowing him to explore and study IP rights associated with national emblems. Lister has a wealth of experience representing media clients in matters with the BBC Regulatory Department, OFCOM and IPSOS. He is a regular contributor to hard copy and online legal journals, and is the author of well-received work on High Court practice and procedure. Appleyard Lees
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Senior Partner Jeffrey is an established trademark attorney whose experience includes trademark prosecution, investigations involving infringement & counterfeiting, as well as administrative & criminal enforcement. He is a key strategist in building the foundation for complex international cases. His extensive domestic and international business and legal experience, along with his focus on client caring, has made him the firm’s international ambassador, laying the groundwork for the firm’s global footprint. Corner Stone & Partners
Women In IP
Chief Partner Gabriella Liu is the principal founder and chief partner of Chinese technology law firm, Beijing IParagon. She represents and serves international and Chinese companies with large IP portfolios or technology assets to help their business in China. IParagon also works with clients to expand outside China.
Her core practice areas span IP, technology law, litigation, antitrust in high-tech sectors, international IP-driven deals, and startup strategies. With her deep understanding of China’s IP law, Liu has helped numerous clients win or resolve significant cases as well as protect their business interests in China, including a non-infringement declaratory lawsuit for Gucci in Beijing.
She is particularly experienced in high tech industry, media and entertainment, pharmaceutical and bioscience, luxury and high fashion, and food, wine and hospitality industry. She commits her time and energies to mentoring and sharing her experiences with young law students and legal/IP professionals, especially women law students and attorneys. IParagon
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Partner and Trade Mark Attorney Stephanie graduated with an Honours degree in Pharmacy. Her career in trade marks has included working in the IP team of one of the world's leading brand consultancy and the in-house legal team of a British multinational alcoholic beverages company.
With nearly 30 years in the IP sector, Stephanie has considerable experience in all areas of trade mark selection including brand creation, clearance, protection and enforcement, due diligence and strategic international portfolio management. She has managed a wide range of search projects including global projects in the pharmaceutical sector for a top 20 global pharmaceutical company and clients in Japan and the US. She has also managed numerous due diligence projects, with a particular focus on the veterinary and pharmaceutical sectors, providing strategic analysis and recommendations, including a multi-billion euro transaction for a business swap involving an animal health company. She has extensive knowledge of worldwide registration processes and has managed contentious proceedings and negotiated settlements in many countries worldwide.
Stephanie is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys, qualified by examination and a Registered Trade Mark Attorney. She also has a Diploma in Law from the College of Law in London. HGF
Women In IP
Director Gaby Longsworth's practice spans all areas of patent procurement, including domestic and foreign patent preparation and lifecycle management strategies. Her expertise lies primarily in the fields of biotherapeutics, small molecules, biologics, immunotherapy, antibody technologies, microbiome-based technologies, synthetic biology, DNA amplification/PCR, diagnostics, vaccines, viral vectors and drug delivery.
She counsels clients in IP due diligence evaluations for raising and investing in growth capital, executing strategic partnerships and M&A transactions, and going public. Longsworth has strong experience in biopharmaceutical inter partes review proceedings before the PTAB. Her professional affiliations include the AIPLA and the Women's Bar Association of the District of Columbia. Sterne, Kessler & Fox
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Partner Alejandro Luna co-chairs the firm's Life Sciences & Pharmaceutical Law industry group and coordinates the Litigation Department. Among his career achievements, Luna sponsored an important proposal to modify Mexico's litigation and enforcement systems that made it easier to obtain monetary compensation for violations of IP rights. Olivares