Herbert Smith Freehills LLP

J A Kemp is one of the largest European patent and trade mark attorney firms, with offices in London, Paris, Oxford, Cambridge, and Munich. The firm is known for its pragmatic and strategic approach across all areas of intellectual property, offering comprehensive in-house services that include drafting, prosecution, opposition and litigation, non-contentious transactions, freedom-to-operate assessments, and global portfolio management.

The firm advises a broad client base that includes startups, spinouts, growing businesses, multinational corporations, and leading academic institutions. It is also regularly instructed by attorney firms in the USA, Japan, China, and South Korea to act on behalf of their clients, particularly for securing IP protection across Europe and other jurisdictions.

J A Kemp's patents team is recognised for its exceptional technical depth, with more than 80 science and technology graduates, including over 45 PhDs. The team is structured into three primary client service groups: biotechnology and life sciences, chemistry and pharmaceuticals, and engineering and IT. Its attorneys frequently form cross-disciplinary teams to address complex inventions that span multiple technical domains. Areas of special expertise include antibodies and biologics, bioinformatics, chemistry, cleantech, diagnostics, electronics, engineering, IT and software, materials and metallurgy, medical technology, optics, pharmaceuticals, plant science, polymers, regenerative medicine, semiconductors, vaccines, and immunology. The firm is particularly well regarded for its work in patent oppositions, appeals before the European Patent Office, and supplementary protection certificates (SPCs).

The trade marks team at J A Kemp is led by professionals with backgrounds in major international law firms. The team handles a wide range of trade mark matters, including complex registrations such as shape marks and marks requiring proof of acquired distinctiveness. It is experienced in opposition and enforcement, and offers online brand protection services including domain name monitoring, anti-phishing strategies, and social media takedowns. The firm also manages design protection in the UK, Europe, and globally.

J A Kemp supports contentious IP matters before the High Court of England and Wales, the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court, the UKIPO, EPO, and EUIPO. Its IP Litigation and Dispute Resolution Support Group includes qualified solicitors, patent and trade mark attorney litigators, combining technical and legal expertise to deliver successful outcomes.

J A Kemp is a client-focused, commercially aware firm with the capacity and experience to manage the full spectrum of intellectual property matters.

Staffing
41 Partners
56 Other Fee-earners
218 Total Staff