2026

"I have used the firm to get advice on 'freedom to operate' in several jurisdictions in relation to particular line of products. The advice was timely, very logically presented and practical."

"Practitioners with a deep knowledge of IP law and the underlying subject matter, often of a technical nature."

"Nikesh Patel is a fantastic advisor. He is responsive, detail-oriented, and savvy. He provides excellent advice to our US clients in terms of navigating the European patent landscape."

"They are reactive and aim at providing the best possible services, be it on an administrative or on a legal point of view, with costs which - for the UK - remain reasonable. All the people I know at Venner Shipley are friendly and quickly establish a personal and warm relationship."

"Ian Gill is a top notch practitioner.  We have been entrusting to them trade mark filings for delicate situations, and they have navigated us and our clients through the process to obtain registration.  The team is solid, practical, and business-minded, which is very helpful for clients outside of the jurisdiction."

"The service is reliable in terms of surveying and reminding the official deadlines. The team provides you condensed, objective and reliable recommendations on each case."

"They won't engage you in useless proceedings and make you (your client) incur costs in a case where the chances are very low."

"Venner Shipley’s IP litigation team is highly strategic and outcome-focused. They provide clear, decisive advice that is grounded in a strong understanding of both legal risk and commercial objectives. The team works seamlessly across disciplines, offering litigation advice that is closely aligned with wider portfolio strategy, which is particularly valuable in trade mark disputes."

"Geoff Hussey leads the IP litigation and licensing team with a calm, strategic, and highly commercial approach that clients find reassuring in complex or high-stakes disputes. The team combines strong technical expertise with practical litigation judgment, delivering advice that is clear, decisive, and focused on outcomes rather than theory."

"The trade mark filing and prosecution service is exceptionally well run. The team is meticulous, efficient and reliable, with strong systems in place to manage large and complex portfolios. Advice is always clear, timely and tailored to the commercial realities of the brand owner. The administrative support is excellent, ensuring filings, renewals and deadlines are handled seamlessly, giving clients complete confidence in portfolio management."

"Venner Shipley stands out for its technical depth and commercial insight. The patent team combines rigorous drafting with a sharp understanding of business objectives, making them a trusted long-term partner."

"Approachable, responsive team, excellent communication, care about clients' goals and circumstances, knowledgeable, delivers on objectives. Go the extra mile for the client. The best value for money ratio of the market."

"They won't engage you in useless proceedings and make you (your client) incur costs in a case where the chances are very low."

"The team is consistently creative and strategic in how they advise on filing strategies, offering well-considered, commercially focused solutions that are clearly tailored to each client’s needs."

Ian Gill

"I find Ian Gill consistently delivers clear, commercially focused trade mark advice that is well aligned with business objectives. He is particularly effective at translating complex trade mark and brand protection issues into practical, actionable guidance, which makes decision-making straightforward. Ian is highly responsive and provides strong strategic oversight of trade mark portfolios, including multi-jurisdictional matters. I value his calm, measured approach and the confidence that comes from knowing issues are anticipated early and managed proactively."

Katy Sayer

"Katy understood the technical problems presented and managed the expectations of the business very well. She provided very accurate budget estimates. All the work was provided on time, logically displayed and accurate."

Allie Eland

"Very responsive and willing to ensure we get appropriate advice across many areas of IP from patents to contracts and trade marks."

Nikesh Patel

"Nikesh Patel is a fantastic advisor. He is responsive, detail-oriented, and savvy. He provides excellent advice to our US clients in terms of navigating the European patent landscape."

2025

"They not only have top-flight knowledge and insights into EPO and UK practice, but they are also reliable and effective listeners who work to understand my clients' overall strategies and concerns and use their skills to find creative solutions tailored to my clients as compared with a core absolutist approach to challenging issues. We find pragmatic and effective solutions together."

"Professional, understated, rigorous, hard-working, intelligent and fun."

"They are commercial and client-focused."

"The team is responsive, bright, business-minded and cost-effective."

"All of the attorneys are exceptionally knowledgeable and very good at what they do. Our responses are always prepared in a timely manner, and we have a very good success rate when working with them."

"Friendly, approachable, efficient and delivered with expertise and pragmatism. A good balance of technical advice and commercial reality."

"I love their practical approach to complex IP issues."

"Timely responses and clear cost estimates."

"Highly knowledgeable in the specific field we were working in. Provided a range of options with a clear assessment of risks and outcomes."

"Responded quickly and handled an urgent matter within a reasonable timeframe."

"Great technical expertise and valuable legal and practical advice in both patent prosecution and litigation. Smooth, friendly and effective communication. Acceptable billing."

"They give pragmatic advice covering relevant legal [issues] and the economic needs of the business. The service is time efficient and well managed.

"The team at Venner serve as an expert we can rely on, and one we trust to handle some of our most important matters."

"Venner Shipley has the deep expertise our clients require when it comes to clearing marks in the UK and the EU and prosecuting applications for registration. We trust them implicitly and know they will provide excellent strategic advice at every step."

"Venner attorneys consistently demonstrate strong technical skills and are in tune with policy developments and changes at the EPO."

"We continue to partner with Venner Shipley due to their high-quality work product, technical expertise, sound advice, and collegial nature."

"Their advice is always provided promptly. It is concise, sound in law and often the most cost-effective for my clients."

"I am convinced that Venner Shipley has assembled really the only team in Europe with the cross-disciplinary expertise to prosecute this family of patent applications effectively. I am also impressed by the insights that they uncover in these applications.

"Even though I originated these applications, I frequently end up using arguments in the United States that Venner Shipley first advanced in prosecuting the corresponding [European] patent applications to prosecute these families."

"[They] are my go-to resources for patent and trademark matters in the EU and the UK. They provide timely, thoughtful and practical advice that adds value for the client in every instance."

"Professionalism and good face-to-face interaction."

"Good quality work, responsive attorneys."

"They were able to come up with creative solutions to a client's problem."

"We chose Venner Shipley for their outstanding reputation in the field of intellectual property law and their proven track record of success. Their team has a deep understanding of trademark matters and consistently provides strategic, insightful, and thorough advice.

"Their professionalism, responsiveness, and commitment to client satisfaction make them a trusted and reliable partner for our IP needs."

"We have worked with Venner Shipley for many years and have developed a wonderful relationship with them. I can always count on their prompt, cost-effective, and practical solutions to our client’s needs."

"The Venner Shipley trademark team consistently delivers exceptional support in protecting our trademarks."

"No nonsense, responsive and takes a clear position."

"The advice from Venner Shipley is actionable, meaning we can act on the advice knowing it is the correct action based on solid evidence provided by [the team]."

"Venner Shipley always does a thorough analysis of the case at hand to ensure their work product is excellent."

"Venner Shipley's service is world class. They know what they are talking about, and their support during licensing negotiations has proven it. Despite the large size of the team, as opposed to other firms, they remain very approachable, friendly advisors.

"They are a perfect extension of our team of in-house project managers, showing actual interest in the project's progress. Furthermore, beyond being friendly and human, with a sound business acumen, they give practical advice without charging tremendous costs for top-quality advice. They are by far the firm in the UK that provides the highest value for money ratio.

"Venner Shipley's patent attorneys are always available for a meeting or to provide a seminar or training at their own cost; they really invest in the relationship with their clients. They are always happy to jump on a train for an in-person meeting if this is what we prefer.

"They are not only responsive, but they always report deadlines on time and provide extras as a standard, such as quickly summarising an office action at no cost and suggesting potential avenues for a future response; no other firms would do this as a standard."

"Venner Shipley's team has exceptional client skills and provides reliable, experienced advice."

"[They are] extremely understanding and flexible with payments."

"Highly efficient, never drops the ball and makes life for the client very easy."

"The best IP firm in the world from a value-for-money perspective. Very approachable team of world-class patent attorneys that are both very knowledgeable and extremely responsive.

"What other firms would charge for, Venner Shipley delivers as standard. For example, but not limited to, when reporting office actions, they always provide some initial review of the examiner's objections with some initial thoughts on what could be the basis for the response.

"Venner Shipley is outstanding at helping IP managers handle their time and budget constraints while maintaining top-quality service."

"They are always physically available if needed, both for project meetings and for enhancing the skills of the client's teams by offering seminars and workshops. They are the perfect extension of any in-house IP and commercialisation team."

"Easy to talk to, simplify the language so that I can understand."

"Clear advice on maximum impact with minimal costs. They think for us."

"The team at Venner Shipley is highly knowledgeable, responsive, and strategic in their advice. They take the time to understand our business objectives and tailor their recommendations accordingly. Their ability to simplify complex legal matters and provide clear, actionable guidance sets them apart."

"[They have] deep technical expertise in AI and machine learning patents."

"Rapid, good knowledge in the chemical field."

"They proactively manage our company's portfolio and can be trusted to promptly manage in a timely manner all aspects that need consideration or input.They are good with their advice; they visit to make sure they understand what we are doing, etc."

"Compared to other European firms we work with and others we have worked with in the past, Venner always provides the best and most thorough analysis of complex patent matters. Further, Venner is the best of the European firms we work with and others we have worked with in the past at understanding our mutual client's goals and tailoring prosecution strategies towards those goals."

"They are super responsive and often go beyond the ask to share additional relevant context and advice that I didn't know to ask for."

"They give creative and actionable advice. They also deeply understand how our team works and the nature of the work we typically require of them. Their paralegal team is particularly excellent, in that they communicate with us quickly and efficiently and pay very close attention to detail."

"They are developing a deep bench of attorneys with particular expertise in the computer science and software space. As such, Venner is a consistent, valued partner for servicing one of our primary clients. We can rely on Venner to provide timely, high-quality work."

"Prompt, expert, and accurate advice with a personal touch."

"Prompt, thorough service is the norm with Venner Shipley. I have never had a poor experience in my interactions with the firm."

"They humanise what can be a very challenging area of law."

"[They] have a unique combination of cross-disciplinary talent to handle patent matters at the overlap between biology and computer software."

"The team is very knowledgeable, responsive, collaborative, and pragmatic."

"Venner Shipley always delivers with second-to-none attention to detail and proactivity. Creative solutions and close monitoring make us feel like we are in expert hands and can confidently secure the best outcomes for our clients."

"They are smart, dependable, easy to work with and always provide value for my clients."

"We appreciate Venner Shipley for their expertise, professionalism, and responsiveness. Their deep understanding of IP law, especially in trademark matters, and their client-centred approach make them a reliable and valuable partner."

"We have worked with Venner Shipley for many years and have developed a wonderful relationship. I can always count on prompt, cost-effective, and practical solutions to our client’s needs."

"This firm is very knowledgeable regarding our client's expectations, and we have had an outstanding working relationship with the firm for many years."

"Professionalism and clear, simple advice."

"[They] are reliable and meticulous in their work."

"They provide honest and authoritative advice regarding EPO procedures."

"Knowledgeable with a sensible approach to strategic, tactical and commercial implications of litigation."

"Venner Shipley's personnel understand the needs of firms like ours and work with us to better facilitate our own services on behalf of the client. They provide sound advice and are enjoyable to work with on a personal level."

"Ever since the moment I first met with members of the firm, I felt that our size and expertise were a good match for one another. Over the more than one decade of a relationship, this initial sentiment has borne out to be 100% accurate."

"Quick response, very knowledgeable, approachable and explained the process clearly."

"I find that the level of direct access to the partners and attorneys working on matters on behalf of my clients is second to none. Always ready, willing and able to hear my input and provide in-depth review and insight from their perspective. Always taking into consideration my clients' needs, business objectives, and cost pressures."

Another client referenced the team's "dedication and genuineness of advice".

"The attorneys from Venner Shipley reach out to the inventors and communicate well. I often feel that they put themselves in the shoes of the applicant in order to make life as an in-house attorney as easy as possible. They are well organised and responsive."

Jane Martin

"Jane Martin has been our trusted adviser for many years, seamlessly integrating with our in-house team."

Yoann Rousseau

"Yoann is really good, and I feel very happy that he is representing us."

Clare Turnbull, Jane Martin and Yoann Rousseau

"They are all quite approachable. You never feel like you are just one more client. I have always received solid, reliable, and pragmatic advice. And, as we all have those moments when we have left things until the last minute, they respond patiently and thoroughly in rush situations.

Mike Jennings

"I believe Mike Jennings and his team provide the highest quality strategy and tactics on the prosecution of software-related patents. [Jennings] is one of the most successful advocates for my clients in this field."

Lucy Pope

"Lucy Pope provided excellent advice to us and to our client. Clear, concise, efficient and straightforward, with a great client manner."

Sarah Darby

"Sarah Darby is great and really understands our business."

Ian Gill

"Ian Gill is a fantastic attorney. He is very good at what he does and has a lot of knowledge to support a range of scenarios he is presented with."

"Ian Gill's team provide timely reminders so we do not miss any pertinent deadlines."

Rob Cork and James Varley

"Rob Cork and James Varley are always very professional and accurate. They have always swiftly responded and answered exhaustively all our questions. They are very knowledgeable in the field of quantum technologies and mathematical modelling and numerical simulations that we are pursuing patents in."

Geoff Hussey

"Geoff and the team are approachable and available and tailor their advice to the needs of our business, which is not always the case with external counsel. Their technical knowledge is unparalleled, and we place great value in their input into our overall group IP strategy."

Venner Shipley (2024)

"The think outside the box… very strategic and business-oriented attorneys. Great work and great advice."

"They provide quick and detailed analysis on the work. They are plugged into IP laws and provide quick responses."

"I have worked with Gloria Parmesan for decades, and rely on her good judgement and excellent knowledge base to help navigate EU/UK trademark matters. I have been consistently impressed with the team – their responsiveness is excellent and of course their IP knowledge."

"Recommended to me by a seasoned colleague. I am comfortable with their procedural expertise. I enjoy working with them personally."

"I have known Camilla Sexton and Gloria Parmesan for ages. Both are very meticulous – responsive, knowledgeable and easy to communicate with people. I like their responsiveness and good level of knowledge."

"I have worked with Venner Shipley for many years and have developed a trust in their abilities. They are an IP boutique form and thus their litigation team has extensive background in the area.

"I find that their advice is practical while at the same time, they are not afraid to take risks should the client want to proceed that way. They are prompt and thorough. I never feel like they aren't available to me for consultation. Most importantly, they are not throwing their hands up in the face of a very difficult matter."

"Venner Shipley has a subject-matter knowledge in the region that is second to none, and an incredibly approachable team. Venner Shipley has an accessible team that responds quickly and is personable, knowledgeable, and clearly embodies an exceptional firm culture."

"Venner Shipley's past work has been outstanding. They are consistent, timely and reliable. The team that I work with has extensive knowledge of the technology area in which we work and provides honest and practical advice for their clients."

"Venner attorneys consistently demonstrate strong technical skills and are in tune with policy developments and changes at the EPO. Indeed, team members recently visited our offices to provide an update on the Unitary Patent changes that are being implemented in Europe.

"Venner also appears to be highly successful at recruiting strong candidates to form the next generation of attorneys for the firm. They are developing a deep bench of attorneys with particular expertise in the computer science and software space. Venner is a consistent, valued partner for servicing one of our primary clients. We can rely on Venner to provide timely, high-quality work. The Venner attorneys with whom we interact are very responsive and a pleasure to work with."

"Venner Shipley has long been a partner of ours, and they provide practical counsel in line with our client's needs, but they're also able to dive deeper when requested. Paul Derry is very responsive and is proactive in working to learn what the goals are in any situation so as to provide tailored advice."

"They are prompt with very good follow-up. Their work is excellent."

"Consistent work product, great technical understanding, friendly and helpful communication."

"Venner provides high-quality advice. The team at Venner is very responsive."

"Initially we chose them based on recommendation, continued selection due to quality of work and responsiveness. They are exceptionally knowledgeable, practical, and responsive."

"They are experienced in computer related inventions. They are responsive, easy to communicate with, and have reasonable pricing. They are professional in their work in this field of inventions, easy to communicate with, very responsive, and had a creative thinking and approach to rejections (!)"

"Excellent lawyers with whom we've worked for a long time and who are trusted advisors to us."

Alex Brown

"Very responsive and an excellent practitioner."

Yoann Rousseau

"Communicates timely and efficiently."

"Yoann is very responsive and attentive to details and has been a pleasure to work with. He provides very clear guidance that allows us to effectively communicate with our client on issues regarding UK trademark protection."

Gloria Parmesan

"Gloria gives timely, practical and well thought out advice on trademark matters."

"She is very careful, responsive and she knows what she is doing."

Kirsty Dolphin

"She explains tactics and procedure well."

Robert Peake

"First, he is very knowledgeable, which instils trust. He communicates often and very clearly. He is a wonderful strategist, thinking outside the box in difficult situations."

David Birchall

"David is a very knowledgeable practitioner and problem-solver and has been instrumental in our ability to help our clients in the region, and to communicate with our clients with clarity on the issues they face in the region."

John Chettle

"John is extremely thoughtful and meticulous in his approach to his work. John's advice is honest and reliable – exactly what is needed for competent IP counsel."

"He provides good assessments for options in prosecuting EP applications."

"John is excellent at providing considered and practical advice, both pre-filing and during prosecution."

Paul Derry

"Paul plays a large role in the direction of the firm and their many successes."

"He gives personal attention to our matters, and direct follow-up."

"Paul is a very capable and intelligent practitioner. He has trained his team so well that I am confident in all of their advice, even if not coming from a partner."

Clare Turnbull

"She is prompt, with great follow-up. Her knowledge is extensive. Her instructions to us are clear and precise."

Anton Hutter

"Very strong biotechnical and patent prosecution knowledge; responsive; practical."

Henry Aldridge

"Provides professional advice on practice and expected procedures. Responsive."

2023

"We appreciate the team's proactive advice, excellent drafting and customer liaison. They are always willing to help us learn in the field. Acted as anchor host for multiple attorneys and project reviews."

"They are quick with advice, analytical, and strong with details. Their scientific knowledge of the subject matter and legal aspects of patent law inspire confidence."

"We appreciate the diversity of the team. They are easy to approach, easy to work with and provide predictable costs and value for money."

"We have been advised by Jane Martin and her colleagues for a number of years and trust Jane to act as an extension of our in-house team. Venner Shipley continues to offer us a good value-for-money experience, combining fair prices with excellent knowledge and a friendly, approachable and responsive team."

"On all matters, we have enjoyed our working experience with them. They are very responsive and timely in getting work done. They are also excellent at explaining matters of local practice that are relevant to the matters that we work on with them, which may differ from our local practice in the US.

"I would also like to add that we have had very pleasant experiences working with the paralegals and staff at Venner Shipley. With many other firms we work with outside the US, it is not as clear who we communicate with at times, or who our own paralegals and staff can reach out to with questions. But Venner Shipley has always provided clear contact points that allow for a better working relationship as we know all of the individuals we are working with at the firm."

"The attorneys and staff at Venner Shipley are always on top of things and provide a very thorough and accurate analysis of complex patent issues."

"Their IP services are always accurate, reliable and objective. They are reactive and monitor their cases. They won't make a case look better just to get it. The team is very professional but also agreeable and relaxed."

"They are friendly and practical."

"They are high quality, responsive, pragmatic and efficient."

"Venner Shipley is a consistent, valued partner for servicing one of our primary clients. We can rely on Venner to provide timely, high-quality work. The Venner attorneys with whom we interact are very responsive and a pleasure to work with."

"Venner Shipley is thorough and understands the business and IP well. They are also experts in European law and have helped our teams negotiate difficult barriers in Europe."

"We appreciate the high-quality pragmatic advice and responsiveness."

"We appreciate the high-quality work with accurate and detailed analysis from an EP-specific standpoint."

"We appreciate the quick and personalised service which has our client's best interests at heart."

"They are knowledgeable and provide wonderful follow-up."

"They are responsive and experienced."

"They are responsive, quick, and they try to find the best solution for the clients."

AA Thornton (2023)

''They are an outstanding firm. Personable, they share our values, and they have strength and depth across the team. They are a delight to work with.'' 

"They are prompt, clear, accurate, reliable."

"They are excellent value for money and domain expertise. The patent practice team is diligent, proactive in finding solutions and responsive to our needs. The firm also has an outstanding IP dispute resolution practice that wins!"

"They are reliable, prompt, clear and responsive."

"They are down to earth, pragmatic, no ego, easy to deal with, intellectually astute and well respected."

"We appreciate that we have a team allocated to us so they get to know our portfolio and how we like to work. They are very responsive and helpful and offer good, clear advice."

"We appreciate the superb quality of their advice, excellent service, and strength and depth of the team. They have a familiarity with our business and strategic aims and we value the alignment on purpose and values."

"They always provide well-considered advice and are great at developing strategies. They are also considerate of our company's specific concerns and are flexible enough to accommodate those. They are very approachable and responsive."

"The AA Thornton team are easily accessible, knowledgeable and helpful; they will respond with advice on the most minor issues efficiently and are always available to assist. I think the thing that impresses me the most, and that sets AAT apart from other IP lawyers I've dealt with, is how commercially minded their advice is; they will always look to provide a solution without giving off-the-shelf advice that prevents our proposed plans."

"They are commercial, prompt and pragmatic – all delivered with huge intelligence and genuine warmth."

"They are uncomplicated, knowledgeable and friendly."

"We appreciate that they take time to not only explain the complexities of a case in layman's terms, but also to understand the commercial activity of their client, and the likely impact of the outcome of the proceedings on the business."

"The filing services are reasonably priced. The team is kind and responsive."

"We value the polite, prompt and professional communication, and the team's very high-level communication skills in written correspondence, phone/video calls and in-person meetings. They produce a very high standard of professional work.

"We appreciate their willingness to undertake tasks that are very close to a legal deadline. They have proven ability to obtain grant of patents and trademark registration. There is flexibility with costs, if needed, and they have a reasonable price structure. They have consistently high professional standards across the team and excellence in handling litigation cases at the European Patent Office."