Barker Brettell LLP

Founded on a legacy dating back to 1891, Barker Brettell LLP is a leading intellectual property (IP) practice with a focus on patents, trade marks, designs, and copyright. The firm supports clients in integrating IP into business strategy through services such as IP management, audits, and valuations.

The firm employs over 60 attorneys and trainee attorneys with diverse academic backgrounds, supported by a well-regarded network of paralegals and administrators. Its UK offices, based in Birmingham and Southampton, are complemented by a team of attorneys in Sweden, enabling seamless service across Europe and representation before the EUIPO for trade marks.

Barker Brettell serves a broad client base including independent inventors, start-ups, SMEs, universities, tech transfer and spin-out organisations, research institutions, government agencies, and multinational corporations.

The firm’s patent team operates across all major EPO-recognised technical fields, including Biotechnology, Computer-Implemented Technology, Electronics & Semiconductors, Engineering & Manufacturing, Fintech, Life Sciences & Chemistry, Medical Devices, Pharmaceuticals, and Physics & Materials. Technical expertise is combined with a sector-focused approach covering Aerospace, Automotive, Computing & Software, Cosmetics, Energy, Food & Drink, Medical, and Universities.

Patent services include pre-filing advice, patentability searches, invention mining, drafting, filing and prosecution, contentious advice, EPO opposition work, freedom-to-operate opinions, landscape searches, licensing and transactional support, IP-related due diligence, and IP valuations and audits. The firm also offers a secondment program placing patent attorneys in in-house patent departments. Barker Brettell manages over 1,700 new patent applications annually and provides tailored IP valuation packages for clients involved in M&A, investment, floatation, tax optimisation, or royalty calculations.

The trade mark team handles filing and prosecution of approximately 2,700 trade marks annually and provides comprehensive advice from strategy through enforcement. Services include oppositions, revocations, cancellations, cease and desist letters, internet takedowns, company name and domain name disputes, customs actions, and settlement negotiations. The team acts before the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) and the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) and consistently ranks among the top UK trade mark filers. Trade mark services include IP strategy, filing and prosecution, oppositions, cancellations, enforcement programmes, settlements, renewals, assignments and licensing, domain and internet enforcement, customs actions, due diligence, portfolio management, and counterfeiting issues.

Designs and copyright remain a core specialism, with Barker Brettell consistently ranked among the highest filers of UK and EU designs. The designs team, comprising patent and trade mark attorneys, provides strategic and cost-effective protection solutions.

Additional services include oppositions, appeals, IP audits, and valuations.

Other Offices: London, Southampton, Stockholm, Uppsala

Staffing Figures: 23 UK partners, 34 other UK fee-earners