Charlotte has over 15 years of experience in all aspects of patent law in the UK and overseas. She is primarily involved in the drafting and prosecution of UK and European patent applications in the fields of biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices. She also has a strong Supplementary Protection Certificate (SPC – patent term extension) practice and regularly navigates clients through the complex process of securing SPC protection. She has significant opposition and appeal expertise before the European Patent Office and works closely with her clients to align their IP strategy with their commercial strategy. For clients preparing for funding rounds and market launches, Charlotte has in-depth expertise in assisting them with due diligence, freedom-to-operate and formulating and building their IP strategy. She is a registered UPC representative, has handled many opt-outs, and is prepared to assist clients in court proceedings before the Unified Patent Court.

Work highlights

Charlotte has successfully prosecuted some tricky cases to grant before the UK-IPO and EPO and regularly calls examiners to discuss cases, particularly where the technology is complex and more easily discussed by video call. She has also had significant success in defending key patents in opposition and appeal proceedings before the EPO, particularly in the fields of medical use claims and medical devices. She has had equal success in assisting clients to oppose and successfully revoke or narrow the claim scope of competitor patents.

Charlotte was able to secure a very quick grant for a client by utilising the early entry and acceleration procedures before the EPO and has successfully guided companies through the freedom-to-operate process to IP filings and securing investor funding.

Charlotte is an expert in SPCs and has successfully obtained valuable SPCs and paediatric extensions in complex cases, as well as being the author of the UK chapter of “European SPCs Unravelled”, which provides an extensive review of the current status of SPC law in the UK.

Technical specialism

Charlotte works with a number of high-profile clients in the medical devices field, helping to contribute to Forresters’ strong history and reputation in this area, with the firm having successfully represented Angiotech before the House of Lords (now the Supreme Court) in Conor Medsystems Inc v Angiotech Pharmaceuticals Inc [2008] UKHL 49, concerning their taxol-eluting stent. She also works with many clients in the sustainable biological manufacturing, personalised medicine, antibody technology, cancer diagnostics and vaccine technology spaces. In particular, she works closely with clients as they reach the marketing authorisation stage to guide their strategy on SPCs and exclusivity periods.

Education & Training

Charlotte holds a BSc in Biochemistry from Imperial College London, and an MSc in the management of intellectual property from Queen Mary, London. During her undergraduate studies at Imperial College London, she worked as a research assistant at a major international pharmaceutical company, where she became particularly interested in stem cell technologies. She continues to stay up-to-date on the latest advances in the life sciences field by attending conferences.

Charlotte’s Clients

Charlotte works with clients throughout the world, particularly in the UK, Europe and the US. Her clients range from start-ups to medium-sized biotechnology companies and multinationals. She enjoys working with a range of clients and getting to know their business and commercial pipeline to tailor their IP strategy accordingly.

Personal Interests

Outside of work, Charlotte can usually be found crawling in mud and climbing over obstacles or taking part in functional fitness competitions. She is lucky to have represented the UK at the Obstacle Course Racing (OCR) European and World Championships. She also has a love of cars and motorbikes.