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Quick facts
Year of Establishment

1896

Number of Partners

350

Total Number of IP Practitioners

25

Key practice areas
Intellectual property
Patent - foreign firms
Trade mark
Patent
Labor and employment - Domestic firms
IP transactions – foreign firms
Labor and employment - International firms
Firm overview

The Simmons & Simmons international IP team offers the specialist expertise of a boutique IP practice complemented by the full service offering of a major international firm. We are well known in the market for our high-calibre clients and involvement in many of the leading IP cases and transactions, both in the UK and internationally.

Our IP practice, comprising litigation, prosecution and transactional expertise, for both brands/trade mark and patents matters, is one of the only international firms that provide the full suite of IP services from one trusted source – a significant differentiator in the legal market.

We boast an extremely deep and strong bench. Consisting of over 100 fee earners internationally, our IP team has a presence across EMEA (in Belgium, China, Dubai, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, The Netherlands), the UK and Asia.

Known for our expertise in the life sciences, fintech and technology sectors, we leverage our in-depth industry knowledge developed over our 120+ year history to provide the best advice to the most sophisticated clients. The majority of our patent litigators, attorneys and transactional IP lawyers have technical backgrounds, including advanced degrees and scientific research experience, giving our clients the advantage of market leading legal advisors who also understand their complex and cutting-edge inventions.

Practice Areas & Sector Specialisations

Practice Areas: Copyright & related rights, Designs, Intellectual property (contentious), Intellectual property (prosecution), IP transactions, Life sciences IP, Patent, Patent contentious, Patent prosecution, Trade mark, Trade mark contentious, Trade mark prosecution.

Sector Expertise: Aerospace, Advertising, Agriculture, Artificial intelligence, Arts, Automotive, Biotechnology, Chemical, Computer technology & services, E-commerce, Electrical, Electronics, Fashion & luxury goods, Financial services, ICT & software, Internet, Life sciences, Manufacturing, Mechanical, Media, Medical device, Nanotechnology, Optics & photonics, Pharmaceutical, Retail, Robotics, Semiconductors, Technology hardware,Telecommunication.

Address:
8th Floor, Tower 2, Jing'an Kerry Centre, No. 1515 West Nanjing Road
Jing'an District, Shanghai 200040
Tel:+86 21 6249 0700 Fax:+86 21 6249 0706 Email:Contact Us Web Address:https://www.simmons-simmons.com/en/expertise/service/intellectual-property
2026 Edition
IP transactions – foreign firms
Tier 3
9 firms ranked
View full list

Tier 1

DLA Piper
14 practice areas
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Hogan Lovells Cadwalader
9 practice areas
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Tier 2

Baker McKenzie
9 practice areas
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Tier 3

A&O Shearman
13 practice areas
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Simmons & Simmons
7 practice areas
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Other Notable Firms

CMS
6 practice areas
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Jones Day
8 practice areas
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Morgan Lewis & Bockius
6 practice areas
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Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe
7 practice areas
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Trade mark - foreign firms
Tier 3
14 firms ranked
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Tier 1

Baker McKenzie
9 practice areas
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Hogan Lovells Cadwalader
9 practice areas
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Rouse
6 practice areas
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Tier 2

AWA
4 practice areas
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Bird & Bird
5 practice areas
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DLA Piper
14 practice areas
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Tier 3

Deacons
15 practice areas
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Simmons & Simmons
7 practice areas
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Spruson & Ferguson
4 practice areas
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Vivien Chan & Co
8 practice areas
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Wilkinson & Grist
4 practice areas
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Other Notable Firms

Gowling WLG
5 practice areas
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Loeb & Loeb
5 practice areas
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S&O
5 practice areas
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Overview

Simmons & Simmons' international IP team offers the specialist expertise of a boutique IP practice complemented by the full service offering of a major international firm. The firm is well known in the market for our high-calibre clients and involvement in many of the leading IP cases and transactions. It is recommended for IP litigation, prosecution and transactional expertise for both patent and trade mark matters. Sectors including life science and creative industries are where its strength lies.

Notable soft IP practitioners: George Chan, Anna Li, and Monica Fang.

Testimonials

2025

"Simmons & Simmons provides high quality professional assistance, being able to derive a tailored strategy to our client's needs, understanding the big picture issues at play, as well as the commercial implications."

"They are very practical, are able to explain the pros and cons of each step in the litigation and enforcement process, are able to communicate with less sophisticated clients, fully understand the big picture, and the commercial realities surrounding a claim."

"They keep up with consistent high quality of work, and are fluent and proactive in communications with local, in-house counsel. They are also willing to share the updates of laws and regulations, best practice, experience and more to clients."

Linked Reviews
Patent

Case studies show the firm conducted patent infringement analysis on behalf of an energy client, assessing third parties' patents in light of the clients pre-existing patent rights in China.

Trade mark

Case studies show the firm represented a world-leading sports league in many trademark opposition and invalidation cases.

1 results1 results
Publication of the UPC’s annual report and adoption of the procedural rules of the Patent Mediation and Arbitration Centre were also among major developments
A further decision on long-arm status, and a new hire for Pentarc in Germany from Taylor Wessing were also among top developments
There are some impressive AI tools available for trademark lawyers, but law firm leaders say humans can still outthink the bots
Lawyers at Simmons & Simmons look ahead to a UK Supreme Court hearing in which the court will consider whether English courts can determine FRAND terms when the licence is offered by an intermediary rather than an SEP owner
Lawyers say attention will turn to the UK government’s AI consultation after judgment fails to match pre-trial hype
In major recent developments, the CoA ruled on director liability for patent infringement, and Nokia targeted Paramount at the UPC and in Germany
As revenue reporting season hits full stride, firms have made a point of highlighting the successes of their IP teams as they take centre stage in big-ticket work
Developments included the first judgment from the Nordic Baltic division, an injunction covering the UK, and a new code of conduct
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