Partners

Doug McCall received a degree of BSc (Tech) in chemistry from Manchester University, Faculty of Technology in 1961. He joined WP Thompson & Co in 1962 and has been a partner since 1970. Doug is a member of the Council of the Chartered Institute of Patent Agents and is a Past President of that body. Doug is also a member of the Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys, a member of the European Communities Trade Mark Association (ECTA), a member of the International Trade Mark Association and a member of UNION of European Practitioners in Industrial Property. He handles patent matters relating to all aspects of chemistry and mechanical engineering and spends a large part of his time dealing with trade marks. Doug also practices in the area of design and copyright

Robert Ackroyd is a graduate of Durham University where he obtained BSc and PhD degrees. He joined the intellectual property profession in 1978, qualifying as a UK Chartered Patent Attorney in 1982 and a European Patent Attorney in 1983. He is also a UK Registered Trade Mark Agent, a Professional Representative before OHIM in trade marks and designs and a Member of the Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys. He handles a wide range of intellectual property cases, including chemical and non-chemical patents, as well as trade marks and designs. He is a contributor to the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys’ Guide to the Patents Act (“Black Book”) and has for many years been a member of CIPA’s International Liaison Committee. This has involved his being a member of CIPA delegations to its counterpart professional bodies in China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea and Malaysia, as well as assisting in welcoming delegations to the United Kingdom. He regularly visits Asian countries representing W P Thompson & Co and attends the Asian Patent Attorneys’ Association’s annual meetings. He is a member of UNION of European Practitioners in Industrial Property and of the Pharmaceutical Trade Mark Group (PTMG), whose conferences he attends.

Nick Manley is a graduate of Durham University and holds a BSc honours degree in physics.  He entered the intellectual property profession in 1982, qualifying as a Chartered Patent Attorney in 1986 and as a European Patent Attorney in 1987.  Nick joined W. P. Thompson & Co. in 1984 and became a partner in the firm in 1990.  Nick has built up considerable expertise in all aspects of intellectual property.  In particular, he has a wide experience of handling European patent applications and regularly represents clients before the EPO Examining Divisions, Opposition Divisions and Boards of Appeal. Nick has written several articles concerning intellectual property, including contributions to the Handbook of Management and the Company Administration Handbook.  He has also served as a member of the Designs & Copyright Committee of the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA) and is a member of CIPA's International Liaison Committee, having led delegations of that Committee to China and Japan.  He is also an Examiner for the United Kingdom Joint Examination Board for Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys.

Jacqueline Freeman read physics at Oxford University with an option in electronics. Entering the patent profession in 1977, she qualified in 1981. She joined WP Thompson & Co at the beginning of 1992, after a career break in which she lived in Germany and the former Soviet Union and after taking a refresher course leading to City & Guilds certificates in electronic servicing and information technology. She became a partner in the firm in 1994. She deals with patents in mechanical, electrical and electronic fields and with designs, trade marks and copyright.

Jennifer Maddox is a graduate of Kent University and holds a BA degree in economics.  She joined W.P. Thompson & Co. in 1978 as a trainee Trade Mark Attorney and qualified in 1981.  She has been a partner of the firm since 1995.  Jennifer advises on trade marks, copyright and design matters.  She is qualified to represent clients at OHIM and WIPO as well as in the UK Trade Mark and Design Registries.  She has a Trade Mark & Design Litigator Certificate.  She is a member of ITMA, ECTA, PTMG and INTA and attends their conferences on a regular basis.  She is a contributor to the Community Trade Mark Handbook and a guest lecturer on the Post Graduate Certificate in Intellectual Property course at the University of Manchester.

David Gill graduated from Liverpool University in 1986 with a degree in electronic engineering having specialised in the areas of optoelectronic devices and the design and fabrication of semiconductor devices and in particular those involving VLSI. He has retained this speciality while developing particular expertise in the handling of patent applications in the mobile communications field. David is a Chartered Patent Attorney and European Patent Attorney and has broad experience in the handling of trade mark applications. He is a contributor to a variety of publications including entries in Patents Throughout the World, and Designs and Utility Models Throughout the World.  He is also a contributor to, and joint editor of, the European Patents Source Finder issued by the Chartered Institute of Patent Agents, summarizing and cross-referencing, EPO Board of Appeal case law. David became a partner in the firm in 1997.

Tom Brand joined the firm's Liverpool office as a partner in 2000, having previously trained at the firm's London office in both trade marks and patents. After qualifying in both disciplines, Tom spent some time working for another trade mark practice and for the patents department of a major multi-national corporation before returning to the firm. Tom has BSc and PhD degrees from the University of Manchester and is a Chartered Chemist.

Robin Bartle read physics at Durham University, graduating with honours in 1992. After a period spent studying advanced scientific computation at the University of Liverpool, he joined W. P. Thompson & Co. in 1993. Robin deals principally with patent matters including mechanical and electronic engineering and computing. He is a Chartered Patent Attorney and a European Patent Attorney.

Gill Smaggasgale has a BSc(Hons) degree in Chemistry from Exeter University. After a period working in pharmaceutical research she joined the patent profession in 1989, and W. P. Thompson & Co. in 2001, becoming a partner in the same year. Gill’s patent practice covers all aspects of chemistry and chemical engineering. Gill is the UK contributor to Worldwide Pharmaceutical Law and Practice. Gill is also a Trade Mark Attorney and is actively involved in anti-counterfeiting activity. Gill is a contributor to the Community Trade Mark Handbook and is a member of ECTA, INTA and the Anti-Counterfeiting Group (ACG).

Simon Eddowes read biological sciences at Edinburgh University, graduating with honours in microbiology in 1982.  After being employed as a development microbiologist and a formulation chemist, he joined the patent department of a multinational household and pharmaceutical company in 1990.  Simon has worked in private practice since 1997, and joined W.P.Thompson & Co. in 2004.  He deals principally with patent matters, particularly in the fields of chemistry and biochemistry.