International law firm Simmons & Simmons has today announced that its international intellectual property practice will be joined by two new partners. Johan Renes will bolster the firm’s Dutch IP presence from 17 May, whilst Lawrence King joins the UK IP team on 19 April. Both Lawrence and Johan are European patent attorneys working in the life sciences sector.
Johan, a biotech specialist, has spent the last year as an IP consultant for a range of clients in the healthcare and life sciences sector. Prior to this, he spent several years as a partner with DLA Piper, building a practice that covers international patent and technology-based litigation, IP management and strategic advice and prosecution. He is also well practiced in various types of transactional work including R&D, clinical trials, transfer of IP, regulatory issues, investments, financing and private equity, employment, M&A and IPO’s.
Lawrence joins the firm from AA Thornton where he has spent the last decade building a practice which spans contentious and non-contentious patent matters in the fields of chemistry, chemical engineering, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology. Before AA Thornton, Lawrence spent eight years in-house with the IP department of GlaxoSmithKline.
Lawrence’s expertise covers the full patent lifecycle, including patent filing strategy, drafting, prosecution, oppositions, licensing and patent term extensions (including Supplementary Protection Certificates). He also works regularly with litigation counsel to support pan-European and US post-grant patent enforcement activities, particularly in the HLS sector in relation to marketed medicines.
Kevin Cordina, head of patent prosecution, said: “I am excited to continue the growth of the patent attorney practice at Simmons & Simmons. Since the group was started in 2018 we have seen continuous growth in client instructions, recognition, and team size across the six countries where the firm has patent specialists. The addition of Lawrence King in London expands our expertise in the life sciences sector, and Johan Renes’ arrival in Amsterdam expands the senior team into continental Europe. The new arrivals will integrate directly into our pan-European IP team and boost our market-leading full-service, international, offering.”.
Bas Berghuis van Woortman, Dutch head of IP, commented: “The continued growth of Simmons’ international team illustrates the firm’s ambition to grow its expertise for clients across the UK and Europe. This latest investment in the firm’s IP capabilities is a clear signal to existing and prospective clients that the cross-border Simmons team has the expertise to guide them through their current and future challenges.”.
*The appointments of Johan and Lawrence are subject to standard regulatory approval.