Specialist Intellectual Property litigation boutique Powell Gilbert LLP announced today that it has added a new partner to the team.

Tim Whitfield joined the partnership of PG on 1 April, taking the firm to 8 Partners, 15 Associates and 12 paralegals / technical assistants.

With an MA in Chemistry from the University of Oxford, Tim trained at Bristows and qualified as a solicitor in 2004. He has extensive experience of IP litigation before the UK courts and in co-ordinating multi-national European patent litigation. Tim’s practice spans all aspects of IP rights across a range of technologies: including, pharmaceuticals, smartphones, software and engineering. Key clients he has worked for in the past year include Napp Pharmaceuticals, Nuance Communications, Motorola Mobility, Fresenius,
Corma, and the International AIDS Society.

Tim helped found PG in March 2007 when the firm was launched by 5 Partners and 5 Associates from Bristows, with the intention of focusing entirely on IP. The firm has grown rapidly to become one of the largest and most respected IP litigation teams in the UK. A growing caseload has seen the firm continue to
expand with the recruitment of 6 new associates in 2011/12 and two further associates set to join the team in May 2012.

In recent weeks PG has been recognized for its excellence, as Managing IP magazine’s UK Patents (Contentious) Award winner for 2012 and as recipient of Legal Business’ 2012 TMT Team of the Year Award after successfully representing its client, Human Genome Sciences, in a landmark Supreme Court
victory relating to biotechnology patents.

Chambers 2012 reports:

Powell Gilbert derives an outstanding level of expertise from its patent litigation practice, interviewees confirm. It is known for bringing a depth of sector-specific understanding to its efforts and has been building on its track record of recruiting lawyers with science backgrounds. Satisfied clients describe the
group as "intelligent, prudent and committed."

In addition to its high profile patent litigation the firm has a thriving brands, designs and copyright litigation practice headed by Simon Ayrton, one of the founding partners. Clients include household names such as Procter & Gamble, Harley Davidson, Birkenstock, Nikon, Pernod Ricard and a number of global fashion and fragrance brands.

Senior Partner Tim Powell, commented:

"We are absolutely delighted to welcome Tim to the partnership. Powell Gilbert has had another hugely successful year and we look forward with confidence to further growth and continued success throughout 2012. We thank our clients for continuing to entrust us with innovative and exciting work.”

Penny Gilbert, another of the founding partners, added:

“Tim has been a key member of the team at Powell Gilbert from day one. He is undoubtedly a rising star in IP and it is a real pleasure to see him now step up to partnership at PG.”

Notes to Editors:
Powell Gilbert LLP

• Powell Gilbert was founded in March 2007 by five partners and five associates from Bristows and has more than quadrupled in size over the past 5 years, now comprising 43 people, including 35 fee earners.

• From 1 April 2012, the partners are Tim Powell, Penny Gilbert, Simon Ayrton, Alex Wilson, Zoe Butler, Ari Laakkonen, Rebecca Lawrence and Tim Whitfield.

• The firm specialises in litigation and advisory work across all IP rights, including patents, trade marks, design rights, copyright and confidential information.

• Unusually, all of the firm’s lawyers have technical backgrounds, including 5 PhDs, in subjects ranging from computer sciences to molecular biology.

• Members of the firm speak 8 languages between them, including Japanese and Korean.

• The firm moved to new offices in the former Reuters Building, designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, at 85 Fleet Street in March 2010,

• Clients include: a variety of household brands in the FMCG sector, including perfume creators and furniture designers; major mobile telephone companies; several major Japanese electronics companies; multinational pharmaceutical companies, medical device companies and biotech companies from across Europe and the US.

• It has been involved in many of the leading cases before the UK Patents Courts over the last 5 years including:

Eli Lilly v HGS (Industrial application of gene sequence patents)
Aerotel v Wavecrest (Business method patents)
Yeda v ImClone (Patent entitlement; SPCs)
Nichia v Argos (Disclosure requirements in patent actions)
Dr Reddy’s v Eli Lilly (Selection invention patents)
Monsanto v Cargill (Genetically modified soy beans)
ratiopharm /Sandoz v Napp (Controlled release oxycodone
formulations)
Molnlycke v BSN (pan-European infringement jurisdiction)
Fresenius v Carefusion (Earth Closet Orders)
Nokia v Apple (Smartphones)
HTC v Apple (Smartphones)
Sony v LG (BluRay technology)
Microsoft v Motorola Mobility (Telecoms)

See the firm’s website at www.powellgilbert.com.
More information and photograph available from:
Jo Woods, Marketing and Administration Manager, Powell Gilbert LLP, on

T: 020 3040 8039
email: jo.woods@powellgilbert.com