VS News Summer 2025

The last few months has been a busy period with our team busy travelling across the globe, meeting with clients, attending key conferences, and strengthening our international relationships. It was a pleasure to reconnect with so many of you, and we are particularly delighted by the recent announcement that the International Trademark Association (INTA) Annual Meeting will be coming to London in 2026, which is an exciting opportunity for the UK intellectual property community.

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Recent exam success

We are pleased to share recent exam successes for our associates and trainees.

Congratulations to associate Claire Lightfoot, who is now a dual-qualified European and UK Patent Attorney. We also congratulate Fabian Bor, Emily Hofmann, Kyle Struthers-Burgess, Philip Reid, Mahdi Godazgar, Francesca Suèr on their passes in the UK final patent exams. Sam Exton’s successes in his exams mean that he has now completed the foundation modules.
It has also been another outstanding year for those enrolled in the Postgraduate Certificate in IP Law at Queen Mary, University of London. All our candidates achieved exceptional results. Congratulations to Mary Kate Rylands who was awarded the Burrell Prize for Excellence, and to Lisa Joseph, Charlotte Rigden and Tom Farshi on their success!

Partner, Peter Thorniley commented: “I am very proud of the dedication and effort our associates and trainees have invested in their professional growth. Their exam achievements not only pave the way for their future but also contribute to the continued success of Venner Shipley. We are excited to see their careers thrive in the field of IP.”

Supporting our communities: charitable donations 

We are pleased to share that, as part of our ongoing commitment to corporate social responsibility and supporting our communities, we have once again donated a percentage of our profit to our current chosen charities: IntoUniversity and Shelter.

By supporting IntoUniversity and Shelter, we reaffirm our dedication to education, equality and access to opportunity, as well as our commitment to making a positive impact on society by championing causes that matter to us. Together, we hope to build a brighter, fairer future for those who need it most.

Venner Shipley celebrates success in 2025

We are proud to announce a series of prestigious accolades in 2025, underscoring the firm’s continued leadership and excellence across the intellectual property profession.

In the IAM Patent 1000 2025, the firm maintained its Silver rankings for both Patent Prosecution and the European Patent Office, as well as Bronze for Patent Litigation. IAM praised the team as “highly experienced, service focused,” and commended its ability to deliver IP strategy that aligns with clients’ commercial objectives. Twenty-one of our partners were individually recommended in this year’s rankings, with five of them making their debut—reflecting the strength and breadth of our expertise across a wide range of technical and legal disciplines, with two partners achieving a Gold accolade (Allie Elend and Paul Derry).

At the Managing IP EMEA Awards 2025, Venner Shipley won the Europe Impact Case of the Year for its work on the significant UPC Court of Appeal decision in Stothers v Ocado, a case that has helped define standards for transparency under the new court system. The firm was also shortlisted in five additional categories, including Patent Prosecution, Patent Practitioner of the Year (Jan Walaski), and Trade Mark Attorney of the Year (Ian Gill), among others. Further recognition came with the inclusion of seven of our attorneys as 2025 IP STARS, highlighting continued excellence in both patents and trade marks. Siân Gill, Craig Turner, Jan Walaski, Mike Jennings, Pawel Piotrowicz, and Paul Derry were all named IP STARS for Patents, while David Birchall was recognised for his work in Trade Marks. For Managing IP we’re also pleased to see our continued progress recognised in the latest Managing IP Trade Mark rankings, with improvements across both prosecution and contentious categories.

This reflects the expertise of our growing team of trade mark attorneys, solicitors, and barristers, and the trust of our valued clients, who continue to bring us complex brand protection matters – from clearance and filing through to enforcement and dispute resolution.

We are also proud to announce that thirteen of our professionals have been listed in the WIPR Leaders 2025 directory, a global listing of the most respected and influential IP practitioners. This recognition is particularly meaningful as it is based on peer nominations, market feedback, and rigorous independent research. The named leaders include Siân Gill, Adrian Bennett, David Birchall, Alex Brown, Sarah Darby, Paul Derry, Allie Elend, Ian Gill, Jane Martin, Pawel Piotrowicz, Lucy Pope, Yoann Rousseau, and Clare Turnbull. We are also delighted that Managing Partner Siân Gill has been recognised among WIPR’s Influential Women in IP 2025, in acknowledgment of her leadership and longstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion within the IP profession.

We have also been recognised by JUVE Patents 2025 and in Europe’s Leading Patent Law Firms 2025 by the Financial Times.  For more on these achievements and upcoming events, visit the Insights & Events – Venner Shipley section on our website.