Kate works in the Life Sciences team, representing clients at the UK Intellectual Property Office and European Patent Office.

Kate is passionate about improving diversity and inclusion within the intellectual property industry. She is an active member of Forresters Equality and Diversity working group. She is also a qualified Mental Health First Aider and chairs the Forresters Mental Health & Wellbeing Group.

Work Highlights

Kate mainly works on the prosecution procedure at the UKIPO or EPO and the post-grant procedures of opposition and appeal. Some of Kate’s key professional accomplishments at the EPO have included:

• Successful re-establishment of a missed priority deadline.
• Assisting in successfully defending a CRISPR-related patent at EPO opposition proceedings.
• Involvement in successfully defending a microbial-related patent at the EPO Board of Appeal proceedings.

Kate also has experience analyzing IP portfolios and advising on potential areas of IP protection as part of an IP Audit. She is also experienced in drafting patent applications, advising on plant variety rights and re-establishment of rights. She manages global patent portfolios in the US, Japan, China, Australia, India and Canada.

Technical Specialism

Kate works in all areas of Biotechnology, with a particular focus on genetic engineering, CRISPR/Cas9 gene therapy, stem cell technology, antibodies and vaccine technology, and cannabis-derived therapeutics.

Kate’s Clients

She works with individuals, start-ups, university spin-outs, research organisations and multinational companies. She enjoys working with such a wide range of clients, tailoring her advice to ensure that each client’s commercial needs are met.

Education & Training

Kate holds a BSc in Cell Biology from Durham University, which was followed by an MSc in Stem Cell Technology from the University of Nottingham. She previously worked as a patent analyst and has experience in patent, technical literature and design searching & analysis.

Personal Interests

Kate plays netball and is a passionate Welsh rugby fan, often travelling to Cardiff to watch the games. She also enjoys exploring the local countryside with her golden retriever.