United Kingdom (Scotland) - Jurisdiction Review

HGF

Firm overview

HGF is one of Europe’s largest firms of IP specialists. With a dynamic and forward-thinking growth strategy, the firm is one of the few to offer clients a fully integrated IP solution, bringing together over 190 patent attorneys, trademark attorneys, and IP solicitors. The firm has 25 offices throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, France, and Austria.

HGF is already one of the leading firms in the United Kingdom and throughout Europe in terms of its national reach, volume of Patent Cooperation Treaty and EU trademark filings, and position in major legal directories. Its growth has been secured organically and through a combination of acquisition and strategic lateral hires from both private practice and in-house counsel. This has been reflected in accolades such as a continued listing in the Financial Times Leading Law Firm and winning 7 awards at the Managing IP Awards 2025.

The firm has a proven track record of forging successful long-term relationships with clients across a spectrum of business sectors and technologies. Its highly experienced attorneys, commitment to client service, and geographical profile ensure that it is uniquely placed to attend to high-value and complex IP issues.

Marks & Clerk

Firm overview

Marks & Clerk is one of the UK’s largest, and longest established, intellectual property firms. Our expert teams of patent and trade mark attorneys and lawyers are wired directly into the UK’s innovation economies via our offices in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen. Alongside our presence in the UK, we also have offices in nine international locations covering the EU, Canada and Asia, meaning we can tap into local expertise, globally.

Our team provides a full-service IP offering, from the initial filing of IP, through to litigation and commercial exploitation. Having seen the benefits that our clients derive from our full-service model, a number of patent attorney firms have since sought to follow a similar approach by adding solicitors to their teams. However, our well-established and highly regarded litigation and commercial transactions practices continue to set us apart from other firms.

We are experts not only in intellectual property law, but also in the science and technology that underpins our clients’ businesses. Our ability to draw upon this specialist technical expertise, not just in the context of patent prosecution but also in the context of litigation and commercial transactions, enables us to provide clients with a level of service and reach unmatched by other firms.

Murgitroyd

Firm overview

Murgitroyd is a rapidly growing firm with innovation at its heart.

For nearly 50 years we’ve built a reputation as one of the world’s leading strategic IP firms. Trusted by global innovators and businesses to realise and protect the true value of their intellectual assets. History we may have, but we instead face forward. Our success lies in the positive relationships we build and our unrivalled breadth of expertise – from an unmatched technical knowledge to a proven commercial awareness.

We’re more than legal experts – we’re a strategic IP solutions firm with an unrivalled breadth of expertise. Our UK and European patent, trade mark and design attorneys bring together solid legal foundations, unmatched technical knowledge, and a commercial awareness that can drive growth and accelerate success.

We build relationships – globally. Our job is to protect and unlock the full potential of your innovations and ideas – not just in your country, but around the world. Our global team of specialists have an unrivalled knowledge in local laws and practices that provide a benchmark for advice and expertise wherever it’s needed to help you grow your business in markets you never thought possible, in ways you never imagined.

Our global office network spans Europe, North America and Asia. With over 440 employees (including over 120 attorneys) worldwide, our people have leading IP expertise across many industries including automotive, engineering & energy; consumer brands & services; chemistry & materials; life sciences & healthcare; and technology, media & telecoms.

Pinsent Masons

Firm overview

Pinsent Masons' international IP team comprises over 80 IP specialists globally, delivering award-winning, multi-disciplinary expertise through a range of technical backgrounds (some to PhD) and experience drawn from industry.

At the heart of our practice are long term relationships with many world leading businesses across a range of industry sectors, including: life sciences, technology, energy, financial services, sport, retail and leisure. With a shared passion for innovation, and belief that diversity of thought results in better solutions for business, together we harness IP law to drive positive change, access new markets and disrupt the status quo.

Our IP advisory team advises on rights and commercialisation strategies, cutting edge collaborations and IP rich cross-border transactions that redefine the commercial landscape. More than just applying lawyers to solve legal problems, we deploy a range of professional disciplines, enabled by process and technology and informed by data. Not only does this empower us to develop solutions and ensure successful outcomes for our clients, it enables us to do so more efficiently and cost effectively.

Our peerless IP disputes team deploys litigation as a strategic tool to help businesses achieve their business goals, rather than simply navigating risk. Working as a seamless extension of in-house legal and management teams, we're focussed on positive outcomes, whether that is achieving market access for a new product or service, or retaining competitive advantage against those ready to challenge them.

We have a reputation for taking on the most difficult cases and winning them, often making new law in the process. We regularly act in the highest profile IP litigations before the EPO and EUIPO as well as the national courts and registries. Our success rate is second to none.

Recent IP awards include:

Xarelto litigations was named an ‘Impact Case of the Year’ at LMG Life Sciences Awards EMEA 2024
Impact Case of the Year - Sandoz and Teva vs Britsol-Myers Squibb (Managing IP Awards 2024)
EMEA Patent Litigation Firm of the Year: Pharmaceuticals (LMG Life Sciences Awards EMEA 2023)
UK Firm of the Year (LMG Life Sciences Awards EMEA 2023)
Impact Case of the Year – Fingolimod (LMG Life Sciences Awards EMEA 2023)
Impact Case of the Year – Flynn Pharma (LMG Life Sciences Awards EMEA 2023)
Impact Case of the Year – Neurim Pharmaceuticals, MIP Awards 2023
Winner UK (England & Wales) Contentious Patent Law Firm of the Year (Managing IP Awards 2020)
Winner Impact Case of the Year - Actavis v ICOS (tadalafil) (Managing IP Awards 2020)
Shortlisted European Contentious Patents Firm of the Year (Managing IP Awards 2020)
Shortlisted UK Practitioner of the Year - Charlotte Weekes (Managing IP Awards 2020)
Shortlisted UK (Scotland) IP Transactions (Managing IP Awards 2020)
Shortlisted UK (Scotland) Contentious Patents (Managing IP Awards 2020)
Shortlisted TMT Team of the Year (Legal Business Awards 2020)
Winner Legal Strategy of the Year (Global Generics & Biosimilars Awards 2019)
Winner Impact Case of the Year Award (Managing IP Awards 2019)
Winner TMT and Life Sciences Team of the Year (British Legal Awards 2019)
Shortlisted TMT Team of the Year (Legal Business Awards 2019)
Winner Patent Litigation Firm of the Year (Corporate International Magazine's Award 2019)
Winner International Global Business Award 2019
Winner IP or IT team of the Year (Lawyer Awards 2018)
Winner Client Choice Award for Patent Litigation (Clare Tunstall) 2018
Winner TMT Team of the Year (British Legal Awards 2017)

IP STARS Reviews

Overview

GREAT FIRM!

Brodies

Business law firm Brodies also has commercial lawyers who can advise on IP issues, especially those related to transactions. The notable partners for IP work are Iain Rutherford, Andy Nolan, Martin Sloan, Alison Bryce and David Gallagher. Rutherford is the key contact for IP disputes while Bryce is noted for her IP transactions practice. They are supported by partners in the corporate departments, notably William McIntosh, and a team of junior lawyers such as Monica Connolly and Grant Strachan.

Burness Paull

Burness Paull is among the leading law firms in Scotland for IP disputes and transactions. Colin Hulme heads its IP practice. Hulme is supported by technology partners David Goodbrand and Callum Sinclair and a multi-disciplinary team of junior lawyers. Sinclair and Goodbrand are noted for IP transactions work while Megan Briggs is a prospect to watch. IP transactions specialist Fiona Nicolson serves as a consultant in the practice.

Dentons

Dentons is recommended for IP advisory and transactional work, especially in the TMT sector. Former associate and in-house counsel Steph Innes rejoined the firm in 2023 to lead its IP practice. She is supported by TMT partners like Dan Burge and a team of associates.

HGF

HGF maintains its position in the UK market as one of the leading firms for IP protection and portfolio management. The firm is led by Chairman Paul Sanderson and CEO Jason Lumber. The firm expanded its European practice in recent years, including launching a new office in Westport, Ireland in 2018 and merging with German IP firm Patronus IP in 2019.

The majority of its trade mark practitioners in the UK are based in England. The firm's trade mark practice is led by David Potter while IP lawyer Martyn Fish is in charge of HGF Law, its sister law practice. Stephanie Loeffler-Reading, Geoffrey Smith and Lee Curtis are among the experienced trade mark attorneys at the firm. Other notable senior lawyers for IP disputes include Rachel Fetches, Marie McMorrow, and Antony Gold. Janet Knowles is the key IP transactional lawyer in the firm.The partners are supported by a team of experienced trade mark practitioners such as Jennifer Good and Rebecca Field (nee Tilbury).

For patent work, the firm has a very large team of patent attorneys covering a range of technical fields, including engineering, chemistry, life sciences and electronics. European patent attorneys Andrew Wells, Kate Taylor, Harry Hutchinson, Matthew Dixon and Chris Moore are patent practice leaders based in England. Other notable senior patent attorneys in England are Hsu Min Chung, Andy Camenisch, Lucy Johnson and Jonathan Atkinson. Other senior patent practitioners to watch are Catherine Coombes and Kieran Killough.

Gary Wilson is the managing partner of the firm's Scottish practice. Jamie Thomson, who heads the Edinburgh office, is also an expert in chemistry. Susan Keston leads the electronics team, while Douglas Drysdale and Craig Thomson are notable life sciences experts. IP consultant Neil McKechnie heads the Scottish trade marks practice. Nathan Hinks, Ellie Purnell, Andrew McGettrick and Christopher Mellor are junior patent practitioners to watch.

Lawrie IP

Lawrie IP is recommended for patent and trade mark protection work. Patent star and founder Donald Lawrie is a key contact for patent and design work. Craig Hutchison and Jim Robertson are notable patent practitioners in the firm. The directors are assisted by experienced patent attorneys, notably Anders Jensen. Sharon Mackison is a key contact for trade mark work.

Marks & Clerk

Read our review of Marks & Clerk's UK practice here.

Morton Fraser MacRoberts

Commercial law firms MacRoberts and Morton Fraser merged in 2023 to form Morton Fraser MacRoberts. The leading IP lawyer in the firm is Euan Duncan. The firm is recommended for contentious and non-contentious IP advice. Duncan is supported by a team of associates and technology partners such as Valerie Surgenor and David Gourlay, who can also advise on brand protection matters.

Murgitroyd

International IP firm Murgitroyd is highly recommended for IP protection and portfolio management work in Scotland. The firm was previously owned by Murgitroyd Group PLC, a de-listed company which was acquired in December 2019 by private equity company Sovereign Capital Partners. Murgitroyd has expanded its market share in Europe by acquiring firms such as UDL Intellectual Property. The firm expanded its Scottish business in April 2022 through its acquisition of Creation IP, a Glasgow-based IP firm.