< Back to latest news & events

Awards

HGF ranked ‘Gold’ in the Financial Times special report

July 2019

HGF has been ranked in ‘Gold’ for:

  • Chemistry & pharmacy
  • Electrical engineering & physics
  • Mechanical engineering
  • Biotechnology, food & healthcare

And ‘Silver’ for:

  • Materials & nanotechnology
  • IT & software

HGF has been ranked in the ‘Gold’ and ‘Silver’ bands in The Financial Times special report ‘Europe’s Leading Patent Law Firms’ published on 9 July 2019.

The firm is one of the largest firms of IP specialists in Europe, with 21 offices across the UK, Ireland,  Germany, The Netherlands, Austria and Switzerland, and is internationally recognised by its peers across these 6 core areas of technology.

Kate Taylor – Head of the Life Sciences team commented, “I am delighted to receive this level of recognition from our clients and peer group. The team comprises some exceptional attorneys with in-depth experience from in-house roles and academia. We have a wealth of expertise across the life sciences spectrum, and of particular note is the firm’s technical and legal reputation in the area of CRISPR, led by Cath Coombes and Dr Claire Irvine.” 

Matt Dixon – Head of the Engineering team commented, “Receiving a gold ranking is testament to the exceptional quality of the team we have built across Europe. The work we are undertaking in the fields of energy and medical devices are particularly key to the growth we have experienced.”

Dr Andrew Wells – Head of the Chemistry team commented, “The chemical team has grown significantly in the last 5 years and our client base is international and representative of all the key areas of chemistry and pharmaceuticals. We have a large number of attorneys who have in-house backgrounds and this has been a strong benefit for advising clients on IP strategies in this often-complex sector.”

The research was undertaken by The FT’s partner Statista, the market research provider, who compiled the list based on the survey results. A special report featuring the final list and articles exploring the work and role of European patent attorneys appeared in print in the Financial Times and on FT.com on July 9 2019. The survey collected peer recommendations from patent attorneys registered with the European Patent Office (EPO) as well as names from clients who have used a patent law firm in one of the 38 member states of the Munich-based EPO.

As a firm we are committed to building strong client relationships and delivering outstanding service from our offices in Germany, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, Ireland and the UK we are delighted to have been ranked in Gold and Silver. HGF has a clear strategic growth plan under the leadership of Paul Sanderson, CEO.

The firm’s expansion across Europe has continued in 2019 with the merger of Patronus IP which expanded HGF offices into Munich, Heidelberg and Salzburg. This year the firm has also opened Dublin. Unlike other multi-office IP firms, HGF is one integrated firm that draws on its expertise across all offices and across all our attorney teams of: Law, Trade Marks, Electronics, Engineering, Chemistry and Life Sciences to assemble multi-disciplinary client teams that work together to meet clients’ needs.

For the full report see here.

Latest updates

The EPO Board of Appeal comments on the scope of the morality exclusion from patentability

The recent decision, T1553/22 of the Board of Appeal required the Board to consider the scope of the exclusions from patentability under Article 53(a) EPC. The invention in this case …

Read article

HGF ranked highly recommended in the WIPR Trade Mark Rankings 2025

HGF has been recognised as a leading firm in the recently published World IP Review (WIPR) Trade Mark Rankings 2025. This achievement highlights our continued commitment to excellence in trade …

Read article

T1977/22: Can claims defined by open-ended ranges ever be sufficiently disclosed?

The EPO’s Board of Appeal’s decision in T1977/22 provides an interesting review of the case law concerning the compatibility of whole range sufficiency and claims defined as a result to …

Read article

The draft of The Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Regulations 2025 reveals practical details on how to obtain a Precision Bred Organism status

In a recent blog post we discussed the Precision Breeding Regulatory Framework developed by the Food Standards Agency (FSA). Further details on the application process for Precision Bred Organism confirmation …

Read article

A £2.1M Lesson: The Power of Confidential Information

A recent High Court ruling1 serves as a stark reminder of the importance of respecting confidential business information. Hambro Perks, was found guilty of breaching confidentiality and ordered to pay …

Read article
Event - 6th March 2025

IQPC Global IP Exchange Europe 2025

HGF is sponsoring the IQPC Global IP Exchange Europe, which will be held on the 11th-12th March 2025 in Meliá, Berlin. Head of Electronics, Chris Benson, will be chairing the …

Event details

IP Ingredients: Pouring Over the Verdict: What Thatchers v Aldi Means for Food & Drink Brands

Readers of our IP Ingredients blog may recall that we covered something of this case last summer in our post IP Ingredients: Summer case law review. The dispute between Thatchers …

Read article