Managing IP is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 1-2 Paris Gardens, London, SE1 8ND

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2026

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

Cookies Settings

Key practice areas
Intellectual property
Trade mark
Patent
Trade mark - patent & trade mark attorney firms
Firm overview

At FB Rice, our mission is to inspire our attorneys and staff to best serve our clients as they navigate the complex world of IP.

Since our founding, we’ve been supporting the IP ecosystem to create value and prosperity in Australia and across New Zealand and South-East Asia.

Creating value begins with our world-leading expertise across biotechnology, chemistry, computer and electrical sciences, engineering and medical devices. There’s always an FB Rice team member who can confidently advise clients on the most complex matters.

At the heart of our firm lies our commitment to integrity, client success, and a distinctive personal touch in every interaction. Our independent status ensures we stay firmly client-centric, protected from the shifting influences of external pressures or stakeholders. We’re real people who build genuine partnerships based on trust by being open, approachable, and totally focused on clients’ needs.

We work with a broad range of domestic and international clients including manufacturers, software companies, universities, hospitals, co-operative research centres and research institutes, ranging from start-ups to global corporations.

Our expertise and versatility has led to FB Rice enjoying a significant share of provisional patent filings in Australia and significant growth in national phase filings. We are also often tasked to act in Australian patent oppositions for both patent applicants and opponents, delivering many successful outcomes for both domestic and international clients. Working alongside law firms in a range of matters including litigation support and due diligence also remains an important part of our business.

Our trade marks team has expertise across several industries and company types, from bold startups to established enterprises looking to lead their market. We also offer the highest quality strategic advice to clients who require protection for their industrial designs.

Meanwhile, our Research and Development (R&D) tax consulting division, which supports organisations seeking to benefit from the Australian Government’s R&D Tax Incentive program, demonstrates how we constantly learn in order to better serve clients at all stages of the IP cycle.

We believe creating and maintaining a strong internal culture is integral to serving our clients. We take great pride in our staff and are firm supporters of gender equality, as demonstrated by our inspiring team of outstanding women leaders. We also support diversity and strive to maintain a healthy and balanced work environment for our staff.

Our dedication to IP excellence has earned us industry recognition, including multiple accolades and top-tier rankings. 

At FB Rice we empower innovation, create value, and protect what matters most—ensuring the world’s greatest ideas are safeguarded and strengthened.

Network Memberships: AIPLA, AIPPI, FICPI, INTA, APAA, IPTA, CIPA, IPSANZ, LESANZ, RACI.

Practice Areas & Sector Specialisations

Sector Expertise:

  • Aerospace & Defence
  • Agriculture
  • Automotive
  • Construction & Materials
  • E-Commerce
  • Engineering
  • Electronics & Semiconductors
  • Entertainment
  • Publishing & Media
  • Fashion & Luxury Goods
  • FMCG & Retail
  • Financial Services
  • Food & Beverage
  • Furniture
  • Green Technology
  • ICT & Software
  • Instruments
  • Life Sciences & Chemistry
  • Manufacturing
  • Medical Devices
  • Natural Resources
  • Optics & Photonics
  • Pharmaceuticals
  • Robotics & Nanotechnology
  • Telecommunication
  • Universities & Research
Address:
Level 29, 126 Phillip Street
Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
Tel:+61 2 8231 1000 Email:Contact Us Web Address:http://www.fbrice.com.au

IPS Sponsored

  • Sponsored by FB Rice
  • Sponsored by FB Rice
  • Sponsored by FB Rice
2026 Edition
Patent prosecution
Tier 1
17 firms ranked
View full list

Tier 1

Davies Collison Cave
4 practice areas
View profile
FB Rice
4 practice areas
View full profile
FPA Patent Attorneys
3 practice areas
View profile
Griffith Hack
5 practice areas
View profile
Phillips Ormonde Fitzpatrick
8 practice areas
View profile
Spruson & Ferguson
4 practice areas
View profile

Tier 2

Halfords IP
6 practice areas
View full profile
Madderns
6 practice areas
View full profile
Wrays
6 practice areas
View profile

Tier 3

Allens
10 practice areas
View full profile
MBIP
5 practice areas
View profile
Pearce IP
8 practice areas
View profile

Other Notable Firms

Baxter IP
6 practice areas
View profile
GLMR
4 practice areas
View full profile
IP Gateway
7 practice areas
View profile
James & Wells
6 practice areas
View profile
Pizzeys
5 practice areas
View profile
Trade mark - patent & trade mark attorney firms
Tier 1
13 firms ranked
View full list

Tier 1

Davies Collison Cave
4 practice areas
View profile
FB Rice
4 practice areas
View full profile
Griffith Hack
5 practice areas
View profile
Phillips Ormonde Fitzpatrick
8 practice areas
View profile
Spruson & Ferguson
4 practice areas
View profile

Tier 2

Wrays
6 practice areas
View profile

Tier 3

Halfords IP
6 practice areas
View full profile
Madderns
6 practice areas
View full profile

Other Notable Firms

GLMR
4 practice areas
View full profile
IP Gateway
7 practice areas
View profile
MBIP
5 practice areas
View profile
Pearce IP
8 practice areas
View profile
XVII Degrees
5 practice areas
View profile
Overview

FB Rice is a leading independent Australian IP firm that is highly recommended by market commentators for IP protection work. The firm has experienced patent specialists for technical areas, especially biotechnology, engineering and medical devices. 

Notable patent practitioners: Brett Lunn, Connie Merlino, and Cameron Smith. 

Notable soft IP practitioners: Sarah Dixon and Michael Seifried. 

 
Testimonials

2026

"Strong technical ability, ease to deal with, commercial astuteness"

"Easy to work with, have the technical and patent expertise to provide high quality advice that can be trusted. "

"The team has strong depth and breadth of expertise across relevant disciplines."

"Highly responsive and consistently delivers work within tight timelines."

"Very quick turnaround and response to IP disclosures."

"FB Rice's prosecution and filing team provides strategic advice to us around filings. They provide holistic advice that is tailored to our specific circumstances; understanding both the commercial aspects as well as the IP aspects of IP strategy."

"They have a highly professional legal team that prioritizes clients and spares no effort to prevent any damage to their intellectual property rights."

"FB Rice's IP filing, prosecution and administration team delivers precise,efficient work with proactive communication and rigorous attention to detail, ensuring smooth and reliable management of all IP portfolio matters."

"FB Rice offers strategic, business-aligned guidance with deep industry and legal expertise, providing tailored, actionable advice that supports core IP objectives."

Andrew Gregory

"Highly responsive and consistently delivers work within tight timelines. He collaborates closely with our R&D team and has developed a strong understanding of our inventions, which is critical in ensuring that patent specifications are drafted with the appropriate scope and technical depth."

Lara Gun

"Lara Gun's extensive expertise in complex cases, coupled with her responsiveness, strategic thinking and empathy makes her the obvious choice for our clients. She has helped clients with company and abroad across a wide range of industries and has a proven track record of success."

Karin Innes

"Karin Innes at FB Rice is an exemplary IP Attorney. Intelligent, well organised, knowledgeable in life science, strategic and a joy to work with."

Andrea Ruhrmann

"Easy to work with and personable. Good depth of technical knowledge and application of IP. Provides high quality work outputs. Good communication and time management. "

Cameron Smith

"Provides fanastic strategic IP advice and understands client drivers well."

Linked Reviews
Patent

Case studies show the firm helped CSIRO manage its global patent portfolio for key projects such as LC-PUFAs in plants, securing over 130 patent grants and successfully navigating worldwide opposition and post-grant review proceedingsOther clients include Boehringer Ingelheimand Mesoblast.

Trade mark

Case studies show the firm assisted clients on various trade mark matters, such as oppositions, filing and enforcement.

11 results11 results
IP firm leaders share why they remain positive in the face of falling patent applications from US filers, and how they are meeting a rising demand from China
Helen Mutimer discusses how the firm’s IP advisory services are filling a gap in the market, and why life sciences work is soaring
Madeleine Kelly, the Australia-based IP firm’s new managing partner, discusses its new advisory offering, a promising fresh hire and changing market dynamics
It is a long-standing principle of Australian patent law that determining whether or not a patent application is directed towards patentable subject matter should be done separately to determining issues of novelty and inventive step.
The decision of the Full Federal Court in GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Consumer Healthcare Investments (Ireland) (No 2) Limited v Generic Partners Pty Limited (2018) FCAFC 71 (May 10 2018) indicates that a mistake in a claim cannot be ignored even where the skilled person understands that a mistake has been made.
A new Code of Conduct for Trans-Tasman Patent and Trade Marks Attorneys (the code) came into effect on February 23 2018 to address two issues
Sponsored

Sponsored

MIP Sponsored