Our People
Potter Clarkson LLP has a corporate structure with a Managing Partner and Board of Management serving the Partnership.
Further management functions within the firm are provided by a team of skilled professionals who have responsibility for the various administrative areas of the business. Their experience and extensive commercial knowledge ensures that the firm continues to operate efficiently and competitively.
Of course, our management team also releases our patent and trademark professionals from such work, allowing them to concentrate on devising effective IP strategies for our clients.
MA (Cantab), Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys, European Patent Attorney.
Richard read natural sciences (biochemistry) at Cambridge University and specialises in the fields of biotechnology and pharmaceutical chemistry. He lectures on European Patent Law, or has done so, at the Universities of London and Strasbourg. Before joining Potter Clarkson, Richard worked in the corporate patent department of a large British pharmaceutical company.
He joined Potter Clarkson in 1986 and became a partner in 1990. Richard became Managing Partner and Chairman of the Board of Management in 2001.
Richard has great experience of advocacy before the Opposition Divisions and Boards of Appeal of the European Patent Office, having represented clients in well over 200 hearings.
Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, Member of the Chartered Management Institute, Member of the Institute of Directors.
Paul has a varied background in financial, information technology, pensions and administration management. He has held a number of different positions in the accountancy profession, the computer industry, a public charity and commerce. Prior to joining Potter Clarkson in 2002, he was a company accountant in the finance industry. Paul became a member of the Board of Management in 2004.
BSc (Hons), LLM, Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys, European Patent Attorney, Registered UK and European Trademark Attorney, Patent Agent Litigator, Member of AIPPI and FICPI.
Tim Powell graduated in engineering from Southampton University in 1986 following four years' concurrent industrial sponsorship by a multi-national packaging company.
In 2005 Tim graduated with commendation in the LLM in Intellectual Property Litigation from Nottingham Law School and also obtained a postgraduate certificate in intellectual property litigation from the same university.
After ten years practising in London, Tim joined Eric Potter Clarkson (now Potter Clarkson LLP) in 1995, became a partner in 1997 and joined the firm's Board of Management in 2006. He represents clients active mainly in oilfield equipment, metallurgy, consumer goods, electronic component and optics technologies.
Tim has travelled extensively on business, especially in Asia and the USA. He regularly presents papers on aspects of intellectual property to universities and to international audiences in the USA, China, Korea and elsewhere. Tim has also for many years contributed to the "Inside Careers" Guide to Chartered Patent Agents, and has published numerous papers on intellectual property subjects.
Tim was for ten years a Council Member of the European Patents Institute. He remains active on committees of that Institute and of the UK's Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys. He is also a Member of the Patent Agent Litigators' Society.
BSc (Hons), Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Patent Agents, Registered UK and European Trademark Attorney, European Patent Attorney, Patent Agent Litigator, Member of AIPPI, LES, SCI, Biotech Committee of CIPA and Patent Agent Litigators Society. Also, past or present tutor in the EPI training programme for the European Qualifying Examination.
Philip read microbiology and virology at the University of Warwick. He worked in private practice specialising in the chemical and biotechnology fields before joining Potter Clarkson in 1994. He became a partner in 1998 and joined the Board of Management in January 2006. Philip also has responsibility for business development.
Philip has a particular interest in recombinant DNA technology and immunology and has lectured widely on patenting biotechnology. He also has considerable experience of patenting medical devices. Having handled well over 100 hearings, Philip has extensive experience of advocacy before the Opposition Divisions of the European Patent Office and its Boards of Appeal. In recent times, he has been involved in multi-jurisdictional biotech patent disputes across Europe and been awarded a Patent Litigator Certificate.
BSc, PhD, Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys, European Patent Attorney.
John read biochemistry at Bristol University. He conducted research in microbial molecular biology at Sheffield University for his doctorate, and did post-doctoral research work on mammalian cytochrome P450 genes for Cancer Research UK at Edinburgh University. During his research career, John authored over forty research and review papers for international journals in the fields of biochemistry, molecular biology and genetics.
John was a lecturer in biochemistry and molecular biology at Glasgow University before he joined Potter Clarkson in 1992. He became a partner in 1999 and joined the Board of Management in 2006.
John specialises in biotechnology and medical research for UK and international clients, and has particular expertise in advising technology transfer organisations, spin-outs and SMEs especially about IP issues in private and public fund raising. John is also experienced in European Patent Office oppositions, having handled over 60 cases. He has acted in contentious matters before the UK Patent Office, and has a significant practice in supplementary protection certificates (SPCs) including a referral to the European Court of Justice. John has lectured and written articles on the patenting of biotechnological inventions.
Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.
John is a Chartered Accountant with his own general practice. During his career he has held the position of Financial Director in both UK and International companies in the service and distribution industries. He has been acting as a consultant to Potter Clarkson since 1988 and became a member of the Board of Management in 1990.
BSc (Hons), MBA, Fellow of the British Computer Society, Chartered Information Technology Practitioner, Chartered Engineer, Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
Philip read Computer Science at Nottingham Trent University and later obtained an MBA from Loughborough University.
He joined Potter Clarkson in 1995 and until early 2004 acted as the Information Technology Manager for the firm. Following a short move to a large technology outsourcing organisation, where he controlled the telecommunications, network infrastructure and software development, Philip returned to Potter Clarkson in late 2005 as Practice Manager. His responsibilities now include general management of the firm, the strategic direction of information technology, human resources, recruitment and business development.
Barry joined Potter Clarkson in 1993 and is responsible for all accounting matters within the firm. He has extensive experience in both finance and administration having held a number of senior positions with a US multinational company both in the UK and overseas.
Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys and the Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys. Holder of Certificates in Patent and Trademark Administration.
Philip joined Potter Clarkson in 1997, and is responsible for the day to day management of the Patent and Trademark Formalities Departments. He has extensive experience in administration and computer systems, having worked within the defence industry for over 8 years, and also as International Stock Controller for a multinational medical company.