Tim Powell, Penny Gilbert, Simon Ayrton, Zoe Butler and Alex Wilson are ranked individuals in Litigation - United Kingdom.

This IP boutique may be small, but it consistently records stunning successes. With rare quality and depth, Powell Gilbert effortlessly navigates countless blockbuster patent litigations whose results transform the landscapes of their respective industries. Although it has opted to remain solely UK-based, an extensive network of contacts and assured cross-border coordination more than make up for its lack of physical presence on the continent. This is borne out by the staggering number of top-drawer clients that call on it to conduct pan-European litigation. HTC recently engaged its services in in a well-publicised battle with Apple; having switched the trial to the United Kingdom, it was able to invalidate three major patents – including the famous ‘swipe to unlock’ feature – before exporting the judgment back to Germany. Meanwhile, the firm’s facility across range of disciplines was showcased by its representation of Human Genome Sciences Inc in a suit brought by Eli Lilly. The team on this case was captained by the “outstanding” Penny Gilbert , whose scientific background and sophisticated legal arguments “ensure it will be a hard fight to which one must always come well prepared”. Fellow name partner Timothy D Powell is one of a handful of IP solicitors who also offer advocacy services, ensuring consistency across the life of a case and adding his own inimitable talents to the conflict. As far as the telecommunications industry is concerned, “there is no better patent expert” than Ari Laakkonen . Formerly in-house counsel for Nokia, he now has an almost exclusively international practice. The “technically brilliant” Simon Ayrton “can turn his hand to patents in very different domains – his knowledge of even the minutiae of cases is laudable”. Alex Wilson is a “great strategist and a master of multi-jurisdictional patent litigation”, while Zoë Butler focuses on advising clients on complex disputes arising in the electronics, software and pharmaceuticals industries.