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Jennifer Atkinson

Partner (Board member)
UK & European Patent Attorney
UPC Representative

Based in Birmingham

Tel: +44 (0)121 456 0012

Overview

Jennifer’s specialisms lie in biotechnology and life sciences. She has built her practice on advising clients on IP strategy and portfolio management, as well as drafting and prosecuting patent applications with a particular focus on patents related to antibodies, genes, vaccines, screening methods, diagnostic kits, biomarkers, novel therapies and pharmaceuticals.

Jennifer heads the firm’s University Sector group and Biotechnology team. She provides commercially focused advice to tech transfer offices, R&D teams, inventors and scientists. She is also experienced in providing opinions on validity and infringement and in challenging contentious matters, including European oppositions and appeals.

Jenny is an active member of the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys Life Sciences Committee.

Experience

  • Acting as a strategic and practical IP adviser to an academic group that went on to secure £1.5 million in investment and to form a spin-out company. This involved working with the university’s academic team that was developing an early stage drug discovery platform, advising on the strength of pending IP and on a future IP strategy. The technology grew to become a spin-out company with its own premises
  • Working with the University of Nottingham for more than 18 years and the University of Oxford for over 12 years, providing advice on patenting drafting, prosecution and portfolio management
  • Providing advice to various universities on COVID-19 related technologies in the weeks immediately following the lockdown in the UK
  • Working in cross disciplinary teams to protect IP relating to technologies where AI and biotechnology meet
  • A member PraxisAuril and regularly attends AUTM conferences, to keep update with the issues facing technology transfer offices and to keep in touch with clients

“Jenny is an extremely client focussed patent attorney with an innate understanding of our requirements and challenges. She provides excellent pragmatic advice and her personable nature ensures that she builds strong working relationships with Tech Transfer Managers and University Academic.”

Expertise

  • Chemistry
  • IP Consultancy
  • Life Sciences
  • Patent Drafting and Prosecution
  • Patent Portfolio Planning & Management
  • Patents
  • Unitary Patent

Sectors

  • Food & Drink
  • Life Sciences
  • MedTech
  • Universities

Technical Specialisms

  • Biotechnology
  • Chemistry
  • Life Sciences
  • Medical devices
  • Pharmaceuticals

Credentials

  • CPA
  • EPA
  • UPC Representative
  • BSc (Hons) Genetics and Molecular Biology
  • PhD Molecular Biology

Education

  • University of Sheffield

Insights from Jennifer…

Barker Brettell relocates Southampton office as Jenny Atkinson takes over as head of the team
Jennifer Atkinson 4

July 13, 2026

Barker Brettell relocates Southampton office as Jenny Atkinson takes over as head of the team

Preliminary opinion on description amendments issued by the Enlarged Board of Appeal in G 1/25
Jennifer Atkinson 5

March 18, 2026

Preliminary opinion on description amendments issued by the Enlarged Board of Appeal in G 1/25