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Interesting selling points

  • Bristows is a specialist in the technology, life sciences and brands sectors, working with notable clients such as Philips International, Dior, Disney+ and AstraZeneca. 
  • Chambers and Partners has awarded the firm Band 1 rankings for its Data Protection & Information Law and Life Sciences: IP/Patent Litigation departments.
  • Trainees are guaranteed to sit within the firm’s IP Litigation and Patent Litigation teams.
  • The firm has a flexible training contract, which can include seats between 3 and 6 months long. 
  • Bristows' diversity and inclusion initiatives include unconscious bias training, the Lyda Network and an active Inclusion group.
  • The firm’s pro bono work includes assisting the Royal Theatrical Trust (RTST), Techfugees and Amnesty International.

We cover these selling points in more detail below, alongside other relevant firm facts and characteristics. 

Practice areas / services

Bristows is a full-service commercial law firm which has the following practice areas: 

  • Advertising & Marketing 
  • Arbitration 
  • Brands, Designs & Copyright 
  • Charities & Not-For-Profit 
  • Commercial & IP Transactions 
  • Commercial & Technology Disputes 
  • Competition Advice & Investigations 
  • Competition Litigation 
  • Corporate & Financing 
  • Data Breaches & Cyber Security
  • Data Protection & Privacy 
  • Employment 
  • EU & UK Merger Control 
  • Freedom To Operate 
  • IT & Digital 
  • IT Disputes 
  • Life Sciences Regulatory
  • Media Disputes
  • Patent Litigation 
  • Real Estate 
  • Regulatory & Advisory 
  • SEP/FRAND Disputes
  • Tax 
  • TM & Design Portfolio Management 
  • Transactions 

Chambers and Partners, a leading analyst of the legal market, has awarded Bristows its highest ‘Band 1’ ranking for the following departments: Data Protection & Information Law and Life Sciences: IP/Patent Litigation. See here for more information

Key sectors / industries

Bristows’ highest-value clients operate in the following sectors: 

Work

Bristows works with numerous high-profile clients, including:

  • Philips: the firm defended Philips in proceedings brought by Vestel for Philips’ alleged abuse of its dominant position regarding certain patents. 
  • Disney+: Bristows advised the producers of the multi-award-winning documentary short “Sophie & The Baron” in connection with their commercial negotiations with Disney Branded Television, the unit of Disney which oversees the development, production and acquisition of content for Disney+ and Disney’s television channels. 
  • GBS: the firm assisted GBS in its acquisition of Cambridge-based Intelligent Fingerprinting (IFP) whose unique proprietary drug screening system is an on-the-sport 10-minute fingerprint test which analyses fingerprint sweat to screen for recent drug use. 
  • Glebe Farm: the firm represented Glebe Garm in its trademark case against Oatly. The judge found that there was no likelihood of confusion between the PUREOATY sign and carton and any of the Oatly trademarks. 

Offices / global footprint / expansion

Headquarters: London, 100 Victoria Embankment. 

Offices: The firm also has offices in Brussels and Dublin. 

Insights, internships and other opportunities

Bristows runs a number of intellectual property workshops (see here). These are open to those in their second, penultimate or final year of any undergraduate degree, as well as graduates and postgraduates. These structured workshops give an insight into the firm and the work it carries out. 

The virtual and in person workshops include a variety of interactive sessions, a case study and networking opportunities. There are also special workshops for first years and those undertaking STEM degrees. 

Training contract

Bristows recruits 10 trainees per year. The training contract structure is flexible, as the firm offers a mixture of 3 and 6 month seats. Trainees are guaranteed a seat within the firm’s IP Litigation department and Patent Litigation team. Other seats on offer include corporate, real estate, commercial disputes, EU and competition, commercial IP/IT, and regulatory. 

Trainees receive an appraisal at the end of each seat, attend regular meetings with an allocated training partner, and have an informal mid-seat appraisal. Alongside the seats and feedback, the firm runs an in-house training programme covering both legal and professional skills training. Formal training is also provided via the training network the firm is part of (this also includes other City firms). 

Secondments

Bristows sometimes offers three-month client secondments, depending on business need, however this is not guaranteed. 

Technology and innovation

The firm’s various sector specialisms have led to it becoming a thought leader on various technological developments. Examples include: 

  • The Cookie Jar: the firm’s technology specialists provide regular updates on all things influencing the technology sector, via this resource hub. 
  • The CLIP Board: the firm regularly publishes thought leadership pieces on The CLIP Board, a blog covering matters shaping the competition and intellectual property spheres. 
  • Unified Patent Court: the firm produces a podcast and regular updates relating to the Unified Patent Court. It has been a commentator in the area for well over 10 years. 

Corporate social responsibility

Bristows’ “core values underpin the culture of the firm”. These values are reflect in some of the firm’s pro bono work, including:  

  • The Royal Theatrical Trust (RTST): the firm assists this theatre charity with its national RTST Director Award Scheme. The scheme provides an opportunity, annually, for an up-and-coming theatre director to create and direct a play at a prestigious British regional theatre. 
  • Techfugees: the firm has helped social enterprise Techfugees with its brand licensing arrangements as part of its launch in the US. Techfugees coordinates the international tech community’s response to the needs of refugees. 
  • Amnesty International: the firm has advised Amnesty International on data protection compliance issues. This included considering when various processing conditions and exceptions might apply to Amnesty International’s use of personal information. 

Diversity and inclusion

The firm is “really proud” of its long-standing positive attitudes, commitment and approach towards diversity and inclusion. This is evidenced in its various diversity and inclusion initiatives, for example: 

  • Inclusion Group: the firm has an active inclusion group, which is headed by three partners and includes members from all areas of the firm. The group meets every 2 months and reports on its activities to the partnership. 
  • The Lyda Network: this network is dedicated to celebrating and promoting issues surrounding race and ethnicity. It was named in honour of Lyda Newman, a black female inventor who patented the first hairbrush with synthetic bristles. The network collaborates with NOTICED to focus on areas including support and wellbeing, recruitment, promotion and retention, and best practice. 
  • Unconscious bias training: Bristows holds unconscious bias training internally for everyone involved in the firm’s recruitment processes, as well as all partners. This has also been extended to training and awareness to encompass the principles of inclusive leadership. 
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