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Tim Powell

Partner

Tim
Powell

Partner

  • +44 (0)20 3040 8030
  • tim.powell@powellgilbert.com
  • linkedin.com/in/tim-powell
  • People
  • Tim Powell

Tim has a strong technical background that has enabled him to represent clients in some of the largest and most complex intellectual property disputes to come before the UK courts in recent years.
 
Tim specialises in multi-jurisdictional litigation, particularly in the patents field where he has experience in coordinating litigation taking place simultaneously across Europe, North America and beyond.
 
He is a solicitor advocate and has represented clients as an advocate in the UK and European Patent Offices, the English High Court, Court of Appeal, House of Lords and the European Court of Justice.
 
This breadth of expertise means that Tim often lectures on all aspects of IP law.

Tim is available to act as an arbitrator in IP disputes and is on the list of Neutrals of the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Centre as an expert specialised in life sciences.

Tim has been a partner at Powell Gilbert LLP since its founding in 2007.

Key cases

  • Illumina v MGI (gene sequencing technology)

  • Abbott v Edwards Lifesciences (medical devices – transcatheter mitral valve repair)

  • GSK v Fibrogen (anti-anaemia drugs)

  • Chugai Pharmaceutical v UCB (patent licence dispute - antibody technology)

  • Accord Healthcare v Research Corporation Technologies (anti-epileptics)

  • Leonardo MW v Elbit Systems (missile defence systems)

  • ​Illumina v Ariosa & Premaitha (non-invasive pre-natal testing)

  • ​Edwards Lifesciences v Boston Scientific (medical devices - transcatheter heart valves)

  • Warner-Lambert v Actavis & Others (pregabalin)

  • Vringo v ZTE (telecommunications / FRAND licensing)

  • Actavis v Sanofi Aventis (SPCs – irbesartan combinations)

  • Apple v Nokia (smartphones)

  • Microsoft v Motorola Mobility (smartphones)

  • Yeda v Comptroller General of Patents (SPCs - cetuximab)

  • Cisco Systems v Comptel (software licence dispute)

  • Mölnlycke v BSN (wound dressings)

  • Yeda v Sanofi Aventis and ImClone (monoclonal antibodies)

  • Affymetrix v Multilyte (DNA microarrays)

  • Philips v Princo (CD-R technology)

  • Monsanto v Cargill (GM crops)

  • Pharmacia v Merck (Cox 2 inhibitors)

  • Chiron v Murex and Others (HCV)

Qualifications
  • 1990 Solicitor
  • 2004 Solicitor Advocate
Education
  • MA (Natural Sciences), Cambridge University
  • Diploma in Intellectual Property Law and Practice, Bristol University
Awards and recognition
  • IAM Global Leader (2021)
  • Legal 500 Hall of Fame (2022, 2021, 2020)
  • LMG European Life Sciences Awards : IP Lawyer of the Year: Medical devices (2021)
  • Managing IP EMEA Awards - UK Patents (Contentious) Firm of the Year (2021, 2019, 2018)
  • Who's Who Legal Patents and Life Sciences Global Elite Thought Leader (2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018)
  • IAM Global IP Awards, UK Patent Law Firm of the Year (2020, 2019)
  • IAM Patent 1000: The World’s Leading Patent Professionals
  • Managing IP's IP Stars - Patent Star
  • Leading Individual JUVE Patent UK
  • World IP Review Leader
  • Leaders League, Innovation - Technology & IP - Leading Partners
  • Top 100 business lawyers in the UK in the “Chambers 100” (2013)
  • Top 100 London SuperLawyers (2015)
Connections and networks
  • AIPPI and EPLAW
  • Member of the Intellectual Property Advisory Committee of the UK Bioindustry Association
  • Board member of IPLA

“simply the best”. The best word to describe him is “exceptional.” He is experienced, smart, and pragmatic.

IAM Patent 1000 2022

is a keystone of the UK’s patent litigation market, appreciated by peers as “a leading name in the space”

WWL 2022

Tim has a huge amount of experience and just ‘gets it’. He is calm and knowledgeable presence who can immediately get to the nub of any tricky issue

IAM Patent 1000 2022

Tim Powell hugely respected "Really talented, and so impressive."

Chambers and Partners UK 2022

Tim Powell amongst the very best patent litigators, particularly in life sciences.

Legal 500 2022

a seasoned lawyer, recognised for his decades of experience advising on domestic and international patent cases.

WWL 2022

really solid performer

JUVE 2021

He has an overall vision of the issues that go beyond the case itself to the overarching legal landscape around the pharmaceutical industry

Chambers and Partners 2021

a tenacious and highly effective litigator who you do not want on the other side of a case

Legal 500 2021

a fantastic litigator. Smart, pragmatic, has the ability to explain complex matters in an incredibly simple way. A man to have next to you in the trenches

Legal 500, 2021

a “reputation for being extremely sharp” and knowledgeable in the field

Who's Who Legal, Patents 2020

adept at coordinating simultaneous litigations across Europe, North America and beyond

IAM Patent 1000: The World’s Leading Patent Professionals 2020

“excellent lawyer” with an outstanding ability to coordinate multi-jurisdictional litigation in pharmaceutical matters

Who's Who Legal, Life Sciences 2020

excellent litigator

JUVE Patent 2020

He is a legal scholar but also very pragmatic, so when it comes to building the arguments it is brilliant to see how he puts the case together

Chambers and Partners 2020

hugely respected for his patent litigation and advocacy practice, which is focused on life sciences but takes in a wide range of technical disciplines. A client says: "His management of litigation is exemplary - he has an excellent strategic approach."

Chambers and Partners 2020

a shrewd tactician. He is calm and authoritative. He has my full trust, and I can't give much higher praise than that

Legal 500 2020

“simply one of the best UK lawyers I have ever seen”. His powerful advocacy has seen him appear in the very highest courts in the land

IAM Patent 1000: The World’s Leading Patent Professionals 2019

really quite exceptional

Chambers and Partners 2019

Top-tier lawyer named as a Thought Leader and is "held in high regard" thanks to his expansive expertise. Peers name him "a calm, authoritative and knowledgeable practitioner" with "a market-leading practice"

Who's Who Legal, Patents 2019

a very knowledgeable and experienced litigator who is credited for his extremely strong analytical skills and ability to summarise complex matters in a way that clients and non-lawyers can understand

Who's Who Legal 2019

a tenacious and pragmatic litigation, resolute in pursuing his client's interests but flexible enough to recognise when those interests are best served by a change of tack

Chambers and Partners 2019

absolutely superb and top-notch. He knows the law inside out and develops cases consistent with clients’ business goals

IAM 1000: The World's Leading Patent Practitioners 2018

Tim Powell is described as "one of the true stars of English patent litigation" by peers who are effusive in their praise of his "excellent portfolio" and "a calm authoritative practitioner" with "a market-leading practice"

Who’s Who Legal, Patents 2018

"an exceptional patent litigator" who receives widespread commendations from international sources for his expert handling of complex multi-jurisdictional litigation

Who’s Who Legal, Life Sciences 2018

A "known superstar", with a reputation for handling some of the largest and most complex patent disputes in the UK courts in recent years.

Who's Who Legal, Patents 2017

He does a great job for his clients.

Chambers and Partners 2016

“Insightful and user-friendly” Timothy D Powell “know(s) the industry back to front and are clever, tactical litigators”. Powell has a quality that is all too rare to find in elite lawyers: “Though assured, he is willing to listen and be guided.”

IAM 1000: The World's Leading Patent Practitioners 2015

Tim Powell is an advocate “of the highest standing”

Who’s Who Legal, Patents 2015

Tim Powell excels at patent litigation, often co-ordinating business-critical cases across multiple jurisdictions. He is celebrated for his running of cases relating to biologics, genetics, pharmaceuticals and wound dressings. His patent practice is enhanced by his expert knowledge of SPC law and life sciences regulations.

Chambers and Partners 2015

… wins unanimous praise as a leading light in cross-border patent fights.

IAM 1000: The World's Leading Patent Practitioners 2014

A "fantastic" patent litigator whose "strategic overview can cut to the heart of the matter."

Chambers and Partners 2014

“An excellent and skilled litigator with deep knowledge of the pharmaceutical sector”

Chambers 100, 2013

“The ideal patent litigator: technically grounded, astute and forceful, with impeccable judgement”. He is also “practical, excellent at managing complex multi-jurisdictional battles and a very nice guy to boot.”

IAM 1000: The World's Leading Patent Practitioners 2012

Tim Powell has an excellent reputation for cross-border patent litigation. Clients say he is "experienced, has a clear mind and is able to weigh up concerns from a commercial perspective." Interviewees are full of praise for him. He impresses clients with his grasp of technical details and an ability to "find the best route through complicated situations."

Chambers and Partners 2012

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