Clifford Chance appoints two prominent lateral lawyers for European Patent Litigation Practice

Clifford Chance appoints two prominent lateral lawyers for European Patent Litigation Practice

Two well-known intellectual property lawyers, Tobias J. Hessel and Stefan Richter, will be joining the Düsseldorf office of international law firm Clifford Chance on January 1, 2023, to work with Claudia Milbradt and enhance the firm's German IP practice.

Both originate from the European intellectual property boutique HOyng Rokh Monegier. Thomas Misgaiski, a legal advisor, will be joining them.

Tobias J. Hessel's primary area of practice is patent and utility model infringement litigation, including parallel opposition and nullity procedures at the European Patent Office and the German Federal Patent Court. Clients often come from the IT, telecom, and semiconductor industries.

Stefan Richter is an intellectual property law expert who has advised clients on matters ranging from patent infringement lawsuits in many jurisdictions to parallel opposition and nullity procedures at the European Patent Office and the German Federal Patent Court. Clients seek his counsel in the fields of electronics, software, mechanical engineering, and materials science as well as telecommunications and information technology.

According to Stefan Sax, Clifford Chance's Managing Partner in Germany, "in our selection of laterals, we emphasize legal personalities with objectives and potential who will further progress our team and strategy." Tobias J. Hessel and Stefan Richter perfectly match the bill; therefore, we couldn't be happier to have found them as business partners. Our IP expertise is a cornerstone of our strategy to serve clients across Europe and the world by addressing all of their technology-related needs. In Germany and throughout Europe, I'm confident that both will significantly contribute to the expansion and development of our patent litigation practice and the global Tech Group.

"IP and tech concerns, including contentious conflicts, are increasingly more essential to clients," says Claudia Milbradt, head of Clifford Chance's German IP practice and the Tech Group Germany. Accordingly, I am happy that we will soon have two new partners, Tobias J. Hessel and Stefan Richter, who both possess outstanding professional and personal traits. They are a tremendous asset to our highly coveted German and international IP team and will be crucial in developing our Unified Patent Court team because of their in-depth knowledge of the technology sector and their many years of experience in patent litigation.

Tobias J. Hessel has said, "I appreciate my time at HOYNG ROKH MONEGIER and am pleased with the impact I had on the firm's patent litigation practice during my tenure here. I am now anticipating growing the Tech Group's European patent litigation business at the renowned international legal firm Clifford Chance.

"I am eager to contribute my knowledge of patent litigation to Clifford Chance's rapidly growing Tech Group," says Stefan Richter. A robust patent litigation practice in Germany, Europe, and beyond would be well-served by associating with this internationally linked and closely knit practice group that has extensive industry knowledge and a complete advisory approach.