Independent IP firm Phillips Ormonde Fitzpatrick is highly recommended for IP protection and portfolio management. Electronics patent attorney Ross McFarlane and litigator Chris Schlicht lead the firm. Veteran IP lawyer Greg Chambers, who is now a consultant, serves as chairman. The firm offers legal services, including litigation, through its sister firm Phillips Ormonde Fitzpatrick Lawyers. It has patent attorneys across key technical fields, including biotechnology, chemistry, mechanics, and electronics.
Edwin Patterson, Raffaele Calabrese, Saskia Jahn, Scott Whitmore, and Alyssa Telfer are among the experienced patent attorneys in the firm. Veteran biotech patent attorney Justin Dibbens is still with the firm but serves as a consultant. For disputes, the notable litigators are Malcolm Bell, Chris Schlicht and David Longmuir. Bell also handles patent filing and prosecution work. Michael O’Donnell leads its trade mark practice, with support from trade mark principals such as Russell Waters and Anita Brown.
In 2022, the firm strengthened its trade mark practice through the acquisition of New South Wales-based IP firm, Brand Haven.
2023
"The team at Phillips Ormonde Fitzpatrick are very professional, knowledgeable and efficient in all the dealings we have had with them. We believe they are the correct fit to ensure our IP is handled correctly without any issues."
"They are transparent, timely, reliable and trustworthy."
"We appreciate their expertise."
2022 client testimonials
"The practitioners have a depth of expertise, both from the IP/legal and the technical aspect. The team always goes the extra mile to suggest additional data or experimentation that could be conducted to bolster a patent application. They genuinely think about the commercial aspect and implications and genuinely understand their customers' technology and commercial objectives."
"The firm genuinely works as a team, bringing in team members with suitable technical background. They are very approachable and their advice is always practical and pragmatic. The firm adapts its service to its customers and is always seeking how it may improve or better align with its customers' needs. Being independently owned, I find that this firm often flies under the radar. It is definitely a hidden gem."
"We have a panel of preferred providers and POF is on that list. I choose them for the quality of their work combined with cost effectiveness."
"Excellent quality work and an approachable team. POF go above and beyond to understand our organisation and our technologies."
2021 client testimonials
“We have used POF for over 10 years and they have always provided efficient sound advice,” says a patent client.
Another client said: “POF are highly trusted and leaders in their field. The team have always been extremely responsive and very professional.”
2020 client testimonials
A client said: “[They] are accessible, work closely with the inventors, and understand commercial needs.”
A company used the firm because of its “expertise in patent law and drafting”, adding that it “understands what the client wants to commercially to achieve”. The client also said: “The people are brilliant to work with.”
Another company commended the firm for delivering “clear, relevant advice in a timely manner”.
An education sector client noted: “They are extremely knowledgeable and are a trusted resource for protecting university generated IP.”
2019 client testimonials
An agriculture sector client appreciates the firm’s “ability to engage with scientists” and “comprehend difficult issues”.
A client was impressed by the firm’s response to challenges: “[IP] Office actions were always communicated to me with a solution.”
“We are a client with a name not a number,” says a client who also values the way the firm’s approach to client work. “POF understands our technologies and engages closely in meetings with our engineers. Over the years they have become more like work colleagues.”
A chemical industry client said: “Best for [chemistry] patent strategies, patent drafting and obtaining grant. Reliable and cordial.”
“They receive instructions and act on them in a timely manner. No fuss advice,” says another client.
A company said the firm’s patent attorneys are “very helpful and pragmatic”. The client added: “[T]he strategy all through the application process was clear, aligned with our business needs and well managed with no surprises and at reasonable prices.”
“[They are] great at listening and building collaborative teams in oppositions. Proactive, approachable, and ethical,” says a client.
Case studies show the firm dealt with patent filing and prosecution for companies such as Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Huawei Technologies, 3DM Biomedical, PolyActiva, and DSM. It was also involved in litigation on behalf of companies like Meat & Livestock Australia and Dairy Australia.
The firm strengthened its patent practice in 2020 by hiring biotech patent specialist Danielle Burns and electronics specialist Paul Goodall. Burns was promoted to principal in July 2021. Chemistry specialist Annabella Newton and biotech specialist Leigh Guerin are among the patent practitioners to watch. Debra Yin Foo left the firm in 2020. Ray Evans now serves as a consultant.