header-logo header-logo

12 March 2026
Categories: Movers & Shakers , Profession
printer mail-detail

EIP—Rob Barker

IP firm promotes patent attorney to partner

EIP has promoted Rob Barker to partner, recognising his contribution to the firm’s chemistry, life sciences, design, digital and multidisciplinary patent practice since joining in 2014. He is a uk and european patent attorney, design attorney and upc representative, with experience across the chemical, pharmaceutical, energy storage, cosmetics and food sciences sectors.

Barker’s practice includes drafting, prosecution, freedom-to-operate and due diligence analyses, as well as acting in opposition and appeal proceedings before the epo. He has also spent more than four years on part-time secondment with a FTSE 100 spin-out focused on sustainable packaging, advising r&d teams and senior decision-makers on complex ip issues. In addition to his patent work, he serves as head of designs, specialising in registration and enforcement matters.

Chief executive Magnus Hallin said: ‘Rob combines scientific depth with an instinctive understanding of how IP strategy drives innovation,’ adding that ‘we are delighted to welcome him to the partnership.’ Partner Gareth Probert described him as ‘an exceptional attorney’ and said his promotion ‘is extremely well deserved.’

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Bellevue Law—Lianne Craig

Bellevue Law—Lianne Craig

Workplace law firm expands commercial disputes team with senior consultant hire

EIP—Rob Barker

EIP—Rob Barker

IP firm promotes patent attorney to partner

Muckle LLP—Ryan Butler

Muckle LLP—Ryan Butler

Banking and restructuring team bolstered by insolvency specialist

NEWS
The Supreme Court has delivered a decisive ruling on termination under the JCT Design & Build form. Writing in NLJ this week, Andrew Singer KC and Jonathan Ward, of Kings Chambers, analyse Providence Building Services v Hexagon Housing Association [2026] UKSC 1, which restores the first-instance decision and curbs contractors’ termination rights for repeated late payment
Secondments, disciplinary procedures and appeal chaos all feature in a quartet of recent rulings. Writing in NLJ this week, Ian Smith, barrister and emeritus professor of employment law at UEA, examines how established principles are being tested in modern disputes
The AI revolution is no longer a distant murmur—it’s at the client’s desk. Writing in NLJ this week, Peter Ambrose, CEO of The Partnership and Legalito, warns that the ‘AI chickens’ have ‘come home to roost’, transforming not just legal practice but the lawyer–client relationship itself
A High Court ruling involving the Longleat estate has exposed the fault line between modern family building and historic trust drafting. Writing in NLJ this week, Charlotte Coyle, director and family law expert at Freeths, examines Cator v Thynn [2026] EWHC 209 (Ch), where trustees sought approval to modernise trusts that retain pre-1970 definitions of ‘child’, ‘grandchild’ and ‘issue’
Fresh proposals to criminalise ‘nudification’ apps, prioritise cyberflashing and non-consensual intimate images, and even ban under-16s from social media have reignited debate over whether the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA 2023) is fit for purpose. Writing in NLJ this week, Alexander Brown, head of technology, media and telecommunications, and Alexandra Webster, managing associate, Simmons & Simmons, caution against reactive law-making that could undermine the Act’s ‘risk-based and outcomes-focused’ design
back-to-top-scroll