VS News Spring 2025

It has been a busy and exciting time for us since AA Thornton’s partners and the rest of the amazing team joined Venner Shipley in December 2024. As we bring together our expertise and resources, we have been actively meeting with our clients and colleagues to ensure a smooth transition and to strengthen the relationships that are at the heart of our firm.

With a combined headcount of 230, including 46 partners, across our six UK offices — London, Cambridge, Guildford, Manchester, Tunbridge Wells, and Oxford — as well as our EU offices in Munich and Alicante, we are now even better positioned to serve our clients across the full spectrum of IP services. This includes patents, trade marks, designs, copyright, litigation, and licensing.

The integration of our teams has doubled the size of our trade mark practice and enhanced our ability to provide a truly comprehensive IP legal service. Our larger litigation and licensing teams, along with 67 UPC representatives, mean we can offer unmatched support in UPC-related patent litigation, strategy, and enforcement. With our combined expertise in oppositions, revocations, and dispute resolution, we are now even stronger in handling cases under the Unified Patent Court (UPC) system.

As we continue to settle in as one firm, our focus remains on delivering the highest level of service to our clients, leveraging our expanded talent, expertise and resources to provide strategic, commercially focused IP advice. We look forward to connecting with more of you in the coming weeks and months. Please do reach out if you would like to discuss how our expanded capabilities can support your business or if you want to catch up with us in person, our team will be attending and speaking at several upcoming IP conferences across London, the US and Asia. These events offer a fantastic opportunity to connect face-to-face and discuss the latest trends in intellectual property so follow us on LinkedIn here.

Exam success

We are delighted to announce that all nine candidates who successfully passed the IPReg Basic Litigation Skills Course enabling them to apply to IPReg for the award of the Intellectual Property Litigation Certificate.

Congratulations to Harriet Boswell, Rachel Challands, Hugh Crook, Alexandra Gregory, Robert Holbrook, Runhan Luo, Nusrat Rahman, Robert Smith, and Charlotte Wilding!

This achievement is a testament to our commitment to our people and highlights the dedication and expertise of our team.

What others say about us

Our combined firm’s directory rankings highlight the strength and complementary expertise of both teams. The recognition across key areas of intellectual property – patents, trade marks, designs, and litigation – showcases the depth of talent and dedication we bring to serving our clients. Together, these rankings affirm the powerful synergy of our combined firm, reinforcing our ability to deliver top-tier IP services.

We are delighted to announce that Venner Shipley has been shortlisted in five categories at the Managing IP Awards EMEA 2025. These awards celebrate outstanding achievements and innovation across the IP sector, recognising firms and individuals who have demonstrated exceptional expertise and success over the past year. It is an honour to be acknowledged among the leading firms and professionals in the industry.
See more here: Venner Shipley Managing IP Awards EMEA 2025 – Shortlist

We have been nominated in the following categories:

• Patent Prosecution
• Patent Practitioner of the Year – Jan Walaski
• Trade Mark Attorney of the Year – Ian Gill
• Patent Disputes (Patent & Trade Mark Attorney Firms)
• Trade Mark Disputes (Patent & Trade Mark Attorney Firms)

We are also pleased to announce that we have once again been recognised in the 2025 edition of the World Trademark Review (WTR) 1000. We are proud to maintain our firm ranking in Prosecution and Strategy, and we’re especially pleased to highlight that Clare Turnbull, Head of our Trade Marks Practice, has achieved a Gold ranking in Prosecution and Strategy – a prestigious distinction placing her among just 30 UK trade mark attorneys to receive this honour. Additionally, Ian Gill and Jane Martin have both earned Silver rankings in Prosecution and Strategy, which is a fantastic achievement for the team.

Our Head of Trade Marks, Clare Turnbull, shared her thoughts on the recognition:

“I’m incredibly proud of the recognition we have received in the 2025 WTR1000. Since our submission, we have significantly expanded our trade mark team following our combination with AA Thornton, and we look forward to continued success with our newly combined group of talented trade mark attorneys.”

Thank you to all our clients and contacts for providing such excellent feedback.