Meet the Core UPC Team

Richard Kempner, Partner

Richard is recognised as one of the UK’s leading Intellectual Property specialists with over thirty years’ experience in all aspects of contentious and non-contentious IP law. Ex-Linklaters and the former Practice Group Head of a multi-national law firm, his range of work to date has been extensive and often high profile. Examples include: acting successfully for Asda in the first supermarket look-alike case to go to trial, acting successfully for IBM in the first Community Trade Mark infringement and revocation case to be heard in the UK and obtaining simultaneously for BASF a UK record of 37 interim injunctions for patent infringement.

Brian Whitehead, Partner

Brian focuses on IP law issues in the technology sectors, particularly licensing, enforcing and litigating patents. Prior to becoming a solicitor, he obtained a first degree in Chemistry at Oxford and a PhD in Biochemistry. He worked as a research chemist in the Netherlands and as a scientific publisher in the biotechnology sector. Prior to joining Kempners, he gained experience with Pinsents and Addleshaw Goddard. Brian is also active in speaking and writing on IP issues, and has published more than 30 articles on diverse topics within IP law and practice. Brian is a Deputy District Judge (civil and family), Recorder (criminal) and Appointed Person (trade marks and designs). Key cases include: Select Healthcare (UK) Ltd v Cromptons Healthcare, AP Racing v Alcon Components, Prosyscor v Netsweeper and Janger v Tesco.

Nicole Ockl, Partner, Head of Legal, Trademarks and Designs (Germany)

Nicole is qualified as a German lawyer and is a certified specialist for IP rights. She is focused on cross-border cases, assisting clients in both contentious and non-contentious IP matters in Germany, EU and globally. The main areas of her practice include providing legal advice and representing clients in national and European infringement proceedings before the German and European courts. Her clients include industry leaders and hidden champions in sectors as diverse as the food and apparel industry, electronics, engineering, software, life sciences, fintech, consumer products, and media, who appreciate that she has a hands-on-mentality and always keeps an eye on her clients’ economic needs

Matthew Howell, Partner

Matthew is a registered representative before the UPC. He joined HLK in 2018 after a period of almost 7 years as a partner at another firm, having qualified as a UK Patent Attorney in 2007, as a European Patent Attorney in 2008, and as a Patent Attorney Litigator in 2014. Matthew specialises in the fields of electronics, computing (including software) and communications, and has undertaken work on behalf of a variety of major international companies operating in these fields, as well as SMEs and major universities. He has extensive experience of hearings before the Examining Divisions, Opposition Divisions and Boards of Appeal of the European Patent Office. As well as his patent drafting and prosecution work, Matthew has also handled contentious issues, helping clients to achieve positive results in a number of IP related disputes.

Greg Ward, Partner

Greg is a registered representative before the UPC. He is a Partner and Patent Attorney at HLK. He is recognised by both clients and colleagues as an expert in the fields of electronics, communications and machine learning. With experience both in private practice and as part of an in-house IP department, during a year-long secondment, Greg has a strong understanding of clients’ needs and regularly gives strategic advice on patent prosecution, portfolio management and litigation. In particular, Greg brings a deep level of technical background knowledge to his work in the drafting and prosecution of high value, standards essential patents (SEPs); his advice and opinions are highly regarded by those working in the field. Greg is dual qualified as a Chartered UK (2015) and European (2014) Patent Attorney. Greg is also a Patent Attorney Litigator (2020), certified to conduct intellectual property litigation in all relevant UK courts.

Joe Lenthall, Partner

Joe is a registered representative before the UPC. He is a leading specialist in EPO opposition proceedings, especially high value, complex and multi-party proceedings in the Life Sciences & Healthcare fields. Joe has strong technical expertise in Chemistry and Life Sciences and, in particular, handles contentious work in the fields of small molecule and gene therapies, drug delivery formulations, diagnostics, FMCG and materials chemistry. Joe also has UK litigation experience and led the successful defence of a patent dispute in the English IP Enterprise court and the subsequent referral to the Court of Appeal. He qualified as a Chartered Patent Attorney in 2010 and a European Patent Attorney in 2011. Joe is also a Patent Attorney Litigator (2017), certified to conduct intellectual property litigation in all relevant UK courts.

James Ward, Partner

James is a registered representative before the UPC. James acts for clients in patent prosecution, opposition and advisory matters across a diverse range of technologies. James regularly attends oral proceedings at the EPO before the first-instance Examining and Opposition Divisions and before the Boards of Appeal. Opposition proceedings form a significant part of his practice, acting both for opponents and patentees. Technologies in which James has acted in opposition proceedings include 3D printers, automated industrial control, software authentication and security, refrigeration systems, weapons systems, razors, railway equipment, sensors for deepsea fishing gear, firefighter safety equipment, television program guides, television audience measurement systems, injection moulding machines, DVD technologies, fax and e-mail devices, telephone routing and recording systems, intravascular stents, clothing, coffee machines and steel mills. James qualified as a European and UK patent attorney in 2007 and as an Irish patent attorney in 2018. He is also a member of the German chamber of patent attorneys (Mitglied der Patentanwaltskammer) and holds a Diploma in European patent litigation from CEIPI at the University of Strasbourg.

Sandeep Basra, Partner

Sandeep is a Partner in the Chemistry and Life Sciences team at HLK. She advises clients across a broad spectrum of patent matters, from drafting and filing applications, through to European Opposition and Appeals to freedom-to-operate opinions. Sandeep also advises clients on IP matters in Germany including helping companies develop and implement protocols to comply with the Employee Inventors Act in Germany. Before entering the IP profession in 2007, Sandeep was a researcher for many years in the UK, US and Germany. Her research touched on many topics including organic, inorganic, organometallic and medical chemistry. With this background, Sandeep routinely handles a range of technical fields from pharmaceuticals and small molecule chemistry to petrochemicals, polymers and catalysts. Sandeep especially enjoys working as an extension of a R&D department to applying both her technical knowledge and legal expertise.

Jana Crewett, Partner

After graduating in Physics and Environmental Science and gaining research experience in the UK and in Germany in Semiconductor Physics and Optoelectronics, Jana qualified as a German Patent Attorney in 2007 and as a European Patent Attorney in 2009. She has worked for a variety of German and international IP firms and industry patent departments, advising clients on patent prosecution and opposition matters across a wide range of technologies, including mechanical engineering, optoelectronics, microscopy, medical devices, mobile telecommunication, and software. Jana also assists clients in freedom-to-operate, litigation and licensing matters, as well as providing strategic advice for patent portfolio management and product development in view of FTO considerations.