IP specialist Powell Gilbert was the most active law firm in the Patents Court in 2015 and the first three quarters of 2016, according to data compiled by The Lawyer.
The firm racked up a total of 72 hearing days in the court. The firm is ranked above second-placed Bristows which spent 66 days at the court, followed by third-placed Bird & Bird which spent a total of 63 days. Taylor Wessing spent 52 days, while Simmons & Simmons spent 42 days.
Powell Gilbert was launched in 2007 as a breakaway from Bristows, led by name partners Tim Powell and Penny Gilbert and including three other former Bristows partners.
These rankings are based on recorded judgments tracked in The Lawyer Litigation Tracker, a live database of more than 6,000 recorded judgments in English and Singaporean courts.
The Lawyer Litigation Tracker includes 66 recorded judgments from the Patents Court.
In addition to making the most appearances of any firm in the court, Powell Gilbert also received the most instructions of any firm with 22. The longest was a 13-day case in which the firm successfully represented client Actavis in a patent dispute brought by Pfizer which centred on Pfizer’s patent for the use of the drug pregabalin.
The second longest was a 11-day case in which the firm represented Cambridge life sciences startup company Kymab against biotech giant Regeneron. The case concerned patent infringement proceedings brought by Regeneron aimed to prevent Kymab using transgenic mice that are able to produce human antibodies.
The firm’s other clients included Huawei Technologies, Napp Pharmaceuticals and Sony.
Bristows took second spot after representing clients in 20 cases across 66 days. Among the firm’s clients were Google and Samsung which the firm represented in an ongoing patent dispute with technology company Unwired Planet.
Third placed Bird & Bird spent 63 days at the Patents Court working on 15 cases. The longest was a 13-day trial in which the firm represented Electromagnetic Geoservices in a case involving the use of scientific advisers in a patent infringement action.
A total of 33 firms, including magic circle trio Allen & Overy, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Linklaters, made appearances in the Patents Court between 2015 and the first three quarters of 2016, accumulating a total of 244 hearing days. Five of these 33, including Charles Russell Speechlys, DAC Beachcroft and Dentons, made just a single appearance.
These findings are based on recorded judgments tracked in The Lawyer Litigation Tracker, a live database of more than 6,000 cases. To enquire about purchasing The Lawyer Litigation Tracker. please contact Richard Edwards on 020 7970 4672 or richard.edwards@centaurmedia.com
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