Hazel Ford
Partner
UK & European Patent Attorney, Higher Courts Patent Litigator
European Patent Litigator
MA (Cantab), PhD, EPA, CPA
UK & European Patent Attorney, Higher Courts Patent Litigator
European Patent Litigator
MA (Cantab), PhD, EPA, CPA
Hazel has extensive experience advising clients on all aspects of patent strategy, prosecution, and European Patent Office (EPO) opposition and appeal proceedings in the fields of biotechnology and pharmaceuticals. She is qualified as a UK Higher Courts Patent Litigator and is an authorised representative at the UPC. Hazel is recommended as a ‘Patent Star’ in the latest edition of Managing IP’s IP STARS directory, in which she has been ranked for a number of years, and ranked as a ‘Recommended Individual’ in JUVE Patent‘s Rankings UK for her expertise in the fields of pharma and biotechnology.
Expertise
Hazel has extensive experience drafting patent applications and prosecuting them globally. She has particular experience of patent prosecution at the European Patent Office (EPO), in the fields of biotechnology (including antibodies, vaccines, genes and proteins), and pharmaceuticals (including drug formulation, diagnostics, and new administration regimes).
She also has substantial experience with EPO opposition and appeal proceedings, across technologies including antibodies, protein and antibody purification, therapeutics, biofuels, and drug delivery formulations.
Hazel advises clients on all aspects of patent strategy, including coordination of related patents and patent applications worldwide, and interactions between drafting, prosecution and opposition matters. She is also qualified as a Higher Courts Patent Litigator by examination.
Academic
Hazel has a master’s degree in natural sciences from the University of Cambridge, specialising in developmental biology and neuroscience. She went on to obtain a PhD, also from the University of Cambridge, in reproductive neuroendocrinology.
Memberships & organisations
Hazel is a member of the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA), the European Patent Institute (EPI), the American IP Lawyers Association (AIPLA) and the IP Owners (IPO) Association.
Awards
