Comeback for Hoffmann Eitle with Simmons & Simmons partner

After seeing departures from its patent teams in the Netherlands and the UK, Simmons & Simmons is now losing an equity partner in Munich. Thomas Gniadek is moving to Hoffmann Eitle. The 47-year-old is currently also co-head of Simmons’ cross-border patent group.

Following the launch of the Unified Patent Court, the international law firm built up a strong patent litigation practice in Europe with teams in London, Amsterdam, Munich, Milan, and Paris.

Gniadek joined Simmons & Simmons in 2020 from Noerr. Before joining Noerr in 2015, he was an associate at Bird & Bird and counsel at Bardehle Pagenberg. Most recently he has focused on mobile communications and tech cases, including work for Xiaomi. His most prominent recent cases include representing DivX against Netflix and Amazon Prime Video over video streaming, and Network System Technologies against Qualcomm over semiconductors. The latter dispute is pending at the UPC and is likely Gniadek’s largest litigation campaign.

At Simmons & Simmons, Gniadek also litigates at the UPC for SiBio Technology and Umedwings against Abbott Diabetes Care over glucose-monitoring devices. Other past clients include Match and ResMed. It is not yet clear which clients will follow him to Hoffmann Eitle.

The parties are still negotiating Gniadek’s departure from Simmons & Simmons, including the exact timing. However, he could join Hoffmann Eitle by March 2026 at the latest.

Broader positioning at Hoffmann Eitle

At his new firm, Gniadek will advance the patent litigation practice. To date, this has focused mainly on life sciences disputes. The nine-strong lawyer team traditionally maintains a strong focus on this segment and on Asian companies. The patent attorneys, however, are more broadly positioned with a strong foothold in disputes relating to life sciences, electronics and mobile communications.

Hoffmann Eitle reports involvement in over 30 UPC proceedings via its lawyers or patent attorneys. This includes work for Sanofi against Amgen, and Moderna against Arbutus regarding mRNA patents. The firm recently sued Pfizer on behalf of Enanta Pharmaceuticals at the local division Munich. It also represents Asus and Epson in electronics and mobile communications cases. Hoffmann Eitle is currently also representing Eyesmatch against Samsung and Microsoft. Meanwhile, the patent attorneys are also active for Tulip and Dexcom.

Thomas Gniadek

Gniadek will now enhance this broad positioning on the lawyer side with his expertise in mobile communications. He will be co-chair of the firm’s patent litigation group.

Morten Garberg, partner at Hoffmann Eitle, says,”This senior lateral hire reflects Hoffmann Eitle’s strategic commitment to expanding its litigation capacity in Germany and before the UPC, further building on the firm’s successful start in the new European patent litigation landscape.”

An eventful year

Hoffmann Eitle has already experienced significant staff changes in 2025. At the start of the year, the majority of patent attorney outfit König Szynka Tilmann von Renesse joined the firm. Its patent attorneys, especially name partner Gregor König, bring significant litigation experience. The addition aimed partly at increasing UPC work.

The team strengthened Hoffmann Eitle’s already strong focus on the life sciences sector. The market viewed this as a significant gain.

However, a month ago equity partner Niels Hölder and associate partner Mike Gruber announced their move to UK firm Carpmaels & Ransford. As the firm’s first German lawyers, they will expand the Munich office into a full-service location. Previously, Hölder and Gruber worked alongside Carpmaels for Sanofi and Regeneron against Amgen regarding cholesterol-lowering drugs Praluent and Repatha at the UPC.

Hoffmann Eitle has now announced further expansion of its patent litigation team. With Gniadek’s addition, the firm now has nine lawyers, plus 116 patent attorneys, some with extensive litigation experience.

Setback for Simmons & Simmons

Simmons & Simmons has also undergone recent staff turbulence. In 2024, the firm hired Abdelaziz Khatab from August Debouzy for its Paris office. However, earlier this year, Dutch patent attorney Johan Renes joined Plasseraud.

Then, in summer 2025, Taylor Wessing announced significant expansion of its European patent team with a Dutch Simmons & Simmons team. While Sebastien Versaevel joined Taylor Wessing on 1 August, Bas Berghuis van Woortman follows in early November.

The German team has also seen changes, with Munich-based counsel Sebastian Horlemann joining Huawei. Meanwhile, London-based partner Andrew Hutchinson left Simmons & Simmons in late summer to join the litigation team of Carpmaels & Ransford.

Simmons & Simmons had invested specifically in its pan-European patent litigation team over many years. The firm not only brought Gniadek on board in 2020, but also a strong patent attorney team in life sciences led by Stephanie Nottrott and Fritz Lahrtz.

From 2023, the patent team made a good start in UPC litigation. However, this year’s departures represent a setback for the pan-European team’s ambitions.

Growth and more collaboration

In Germany, five lawyers and ten patent attorneys now work around litigator Peter Meyer as well as Nottrott and Lahrtz. The German practice remains highly active in life sciences. Important clients include Bayer, Roche Diagnostics, Chugai and UCB. The firm also maintains strong patent teams in London and Milan.

Nottrott says, “Simmons & Simmons will continue to pursue the cross-border approach in the patent practice. We will continue to expand the team in the respective offices.” Munich, Amsterdam and Paris are likely to be the main focus.

Peter Meyer adds, “The desire and need to further intensify cooperation in the patent team across national borders has increased as a result of the changes this year. We are promoting cooperation even more strongly.”