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HGF ranked as a top tier firm in Legal 500 UK 2025
November 2024
HGF has been recommended as a top-tier firm in UK PATMA Trade Mark Attorneys – Tier 1.
We also continue to be highly ranked in Tier 2 in the regions of:
The firm is also ranked Tier 4 for Yorkshire and the Humber and Tier 6 for London Trade Marks, Copyrights & Designs – Law.
We would also like to congratulate Marie McMorrow who is listed in the “Hall of Fame”, as well as Janet Knowles and Antony Gold who are listed as “Leading Individuals” and Michelle Davies who is listed as a “Next Generation Partner”.
The success and the below testimonials are an indictment of our mission to provide our clients with the highest quality service, technical excellence, and commercial advice.
Testimonials
PATMA – Trade Mark Attorneys
Leeds-based David Potter chairs the trade mark department at HGF Limited, with the ‘extremely thorough’ Jonathan Thurgood in London sitting as co-chair. The firm boasts 25 offices spread across Europe, enabling it to provide clients with a seamless offering from IP inception to commercialisation. The group is well equipped to handle defence and enforcement matters, as well as portfolio management, oppositions, and litigation strategies for multinational companies. Lee Curtis (Manchester) is notable for his expertise in filing and prosecuting trade mark applications, while Stephanie Loeffler-Reading (London) has handled global projects in the pharmaceutical sector. Geoff Smith boasts expertise in international IP protection strategies, and Richard Wylie is skilled in trade mark clearance and registration for clients in the food and beverage arena.
- ‘The team is knowledgable and incredibly helpful. The service is super quick, which allows for early decision making.’
- ‘Working with Stephanie Loeffler-Reading was always a pleasure. Even when certain decisions were tough, there was no stress. It felt as if Stephanie was part of our company.’
PATMA – Patent Attorneys
With offices spread across the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, France, and Ireland, HGF Limited boasts ‘excellent technical knowledge’, managing large, international patent portfolios across their entire lifecycle, from inception and enforcement to oppositions and commercialisation. CEO Martyn Fish in Leeds and chair Lucy Johnson in Newcastle are key names to note. Manchester-based Chris Benson spearheads the electronics department, while ’exceptional attorney’ Jennifer Uno in Newcastle leads the engineering practice. The life sciences group is headed up by Kate Taylor (York), and the chemistry offering is chaired by Andrew Wells in Manchester. Rachel Fetches sits in London as head of the law group, and Chris Moore in Birmingham is at the helm of the oppositions practice.
- ‘HGF law understands the importance of building long-term relationships with us. They prioritise client communication and collaboration, ensuring that they fully understand our needs and objectives in order to provide tailored legal solutions.’
- ‘They possess in-depth knowledge of IP statutes, regulations, and case law, enabling them to provide high-quality legal advice to us. Besides, many of them, if not all, have technical expertise so that they can work in complex patent matters, as it allows to better understand and communicate with us in complex matters.’
North West
HGF Law is active across a variety of sectors, with a strong focus on life sciences and retail. Michelle Davies leads the team, and stands out due to her knowledge of transactional IP issues, including licensing and co-development. Life sciences expert Janet Knowles routinely assists educational institutions, while Antony Gold has longstanding experience in branding and advertising work. Josephine Carver joined from Deloitte Legal in September 2023, contributing her vast experience in transactional IP issues..’
- ‘Very responsive willing to go above and beyond.’
- ‘Real experts in their area.’
West Midlands
With further offices across the UK and Europe, the Birmingham team at HGF Law is able to draw on multi-jurisdictional expertise to assist clients in cross-border IP matters. The firm regularly advises clients in the life sciences, electronics and engineering sectors. Its expertise includes contentious and non-contentious work. The ‘highly skilled’ Marie McMorrow heads the team, advising on both IP litigation and transactional matters. Christie Batty bolsters the IP expertise within the team.
- ‘HGF’s IP team is very knowledgeable and experienced in all aspects of Intellectual Property law.’
- ‘They are very good at listening to their clients’ needs and proposing innovative strategies that take into consideration the client’s commercial position and objectives, whilst working though the applicable legal complexities.’
London: trade marks, copyright and design
Regularly assisting on a variety of litigation, licensing, and infringement issues in the space, HGF Law is active across the IT, media, and education sectors, to name a few. Rachel Fetches, who capitalises on her background in cell biotechnology to handle life sciences and pharmaceutical mandates, leads the team alongside Martyn Fish, who is well-versed in issues relating to medical devices, mechanical, and electronic patents.
- ‘The team is responsive, efficient and experts in their field.’
- ‘Yael Shalem Givon at HGF Law is extremely knowledgeable in IP yet can explain complex matters in a straightforward way. She understands our business and approach and can anticipate the best next steps we should take. She is efficient and thorough and supports our in-house team really well.’
About Legal 500
Legal 500 is the leading guide to law firms and solicitors in the UK. It offers all of those buying legal services in the UK reliable and up-to-date information on the very best firms and individuals operating in a dynamic legal market.
