Record 21 Murgitroyd colleagues recognised in IAM Patent 1000 2026

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Paul Andrews

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Laurence Bibow

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Carine Bicchierini

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Catherine Bonner

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Robert Börner

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Rick De Zeeuw

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Laura Fè

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Annette Flaherty

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Karen Fraser

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Anna Hally

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Catherine Hanratty

Janine Holzer 2026 1280x860

Janine Holzer

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Alan Jones

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David Keston

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Robert Ljungberg

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Florian März

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Marina Mauro

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Barry Moore

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Peter Wilson

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Guido Zerbi

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The image features a logo with the text "IAM 1000," with "IAM" in bold black and red letters and "1000" below in black on a light gray background; the logo includes red horizontal lines to the left.

We are delighted to announce that a record 21 Murgitroyd colleagues have been recognised in the IAM Patent 1000 2026, one of the world's leading guides to patent professionals and firms.

Published annually, the IAM Patent 1000 identifies leading patent practitioners and firms around the world based on extensive market research and feedback from clients and peers.

Recognised in IAM Patent 1000 2026

We are proud to congratulate the following colleagues on their inclusion in this year's guide:

Congratulations to Paul Andrews, Laurence Bibow, Carine Bicchierini, Catherine Bonner, Robert Börner, Rick De Zeeuw, Laura Fè, Annette Flaherty, Karen Fraser, Anna Hally, Catherine Hanratty, Janine Holzer, Alan Jones, David Keston, Robert Ljungberg, Florian März, Marina Mauro, Simon Mitchell, Barry Moore, Peter Wilson and Guido Zerbi.

This record level of individual recognition reflects the exceptional depth of expertise across Murgitroyd's patents team and the trust placed in our people by clients and peers around the world.

Commenting on the firm's performance, IAM praised Murgitroyd's collaborative and commercially focused approach to intellectual property protection:

"The team at Murgitroyd work closely with researchers to identify inventions from technically detailed disclosures, translating scientific content into clearly defined patentable subject matter. They support portfolio development across jurisdictions, aligning protection strategies and advising on how to maximise value."

IAM also highlighted the firm's responsiveness, international perspective and ability to help clients maximise the value of their intellectual property across multiple jurisdictions and sectors.

Strong firm rankings across Europe

The firm's success was also reflected in its strongest set of IAM firm rankings to date.

This year, Murgitroyd secured a new ranking in Germany (Bronze), further expanding its recognised presence across Europe. The firm also maintained its rankings in Ireland (Gold), Scotland (Silver) and England & Wales and Italy (Bronze).

These results reinforce Murgitroyd's position as one of Europe's leading intellectual property firms and reflect our continued commitment to delivering exceptional advice and service to clients across the innovation landscape.

Congratulations to all those recognised in the IAM Patent 1000 2026, and thank you to our clients for their continued trust and support.

Meet the authors

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About Paul Andrews

Paul Andrews is based in our London Croydon office. He advises clients in the fields of chemistry and pharmaceuticals in relation to all aspects of patenting. This includes preparing new patent...
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About Laurence Bibow

Laurence Bibow specialises in the fields of telecommunications, electronics, software and mechanical devices. A French national, Laurence is a European Patent Attorney and Irish Patent Attorney...
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About Carine Bicchierini

Carine Bicchierini is a qualified French patent attorney and her core area of expertise is the field of electronics, software and mechanics. She is experienced in drafting patent applications,...
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About Catherine Bonner

Dr Catherine Bonner files and prosecutes patent and design applications across a wide range of mechanical engineering and physics-based subject matter, including medical technologies,...
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About Robert Börner

Robert Börner studied general physics at the Technical University of Munich. After completing his diploma thesis in the field of electron spectroscopy, he worked as a Chemical Department research...
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About Rick De Zeeuw

Rick De Zeeuw started his career in The Hague, The Netherlands, and joined Murgitroyd in 2003. He is now a Director, Patents, heading up the French office in Sophia Antipolis, the research centre...
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About Laura Fè

A chemistry and materials specialist, Laura Fe’s experience extends across a broad range of chemistry-related subjects, including pharmaceutical technology, polymer chemistry and chemical...
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About Annette Flaherty

Annette Flaherty joined the patent profession in 2001 whilst completing her PhD thesis. Annette has a PhD and 1st class BEng honours degree in Mechanical Engineering, both obtained following...
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About Karen Fraser

Karen Fraser specialises in patent matters relating to computer software and hardware, media streaming, and telecommunications. Much of her work is in computer-implemented inventions (CII), where...
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About Anna Hally

Anna Hally specialises in the life sciences sector, including healthcare, pharmaceuticals, AgriTech, and food technology. Her work includes the drafting and prosecution of patent applications,...
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About Catherine Hanratty

Catherine Hanratty joined Murgitroyd in August 2021 following the acquisition of Hanna Moore + Curley by Murgitroyd. Catherine is a European Patent Attorney, an Irish Patent and Trade Mark...
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Janine Holzer 2026 1280x860

About Janine Holzer

Janine Holzer studied environmental engineering at the Technical University of Berlin and at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and she completed her diploma in the field of water...
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About Alan Jones

Alan Jones specialises in mechanical patents, particularly those relating to the automotive field. As a Certified Patent Litigator, Alan also advises on litigation matters and is qualified to...
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About David Keston

David Keston understands the strategic value of patents to his clients: multinationals, SMEs and academia alike. His work for those clients in the drafting and prosecution of International,...
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About Robert Ljungberg

Robert Ljungberg specialises in European patent matters, including litigation, prosecution and opposition proceedings before the European and Nordic Patent Offices. He also works on EU design...
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About Florian März

Florian März studied civil engineering at the Technical University of Munich. After completing his diploma thesis in the field of construction engineering in 2006, he worked for a construction...
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About Marina Mauro

Marina Mauro’s core area of expertise lies within the field of organic chemistry. She has a focus on pharmaceutical drugs and imaging agents for diagnostic medicine such as x-ray imaging, magnetic...
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About Barry Moore

Barry Moore joined Murgitroyd in August 2021. Barry is Managing Director, Patents, a European Patent Attorney, a Chartered Patent Attorney (UK), an Irish Patent and Trade Mark Attorney, and also a...
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About Peter Wilson

A materials science and mechanical engineering specialist, Peter Wilson focuses on inventions relating to aerospace, automotive, agricultural engineering, advanced materials and semiconductor...
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Portrait of a person with gray beard and receding hair, wearing dark-rimmed glasses, white shirt, and dark blazer, smiling against a gray backdrop.

About Guido Zerbi

Guido Zerbi is a Director of Patents for Murgitroyd. He heads up the Milan office and oversees our Geneva office. After spending 17 years as an in-house attorney, Guido understands how to handle...
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