Hoffmann Eitle continues expansion of litigation practice with Bird & Bird counsel

Jonas Smeets (36) will start as an associate partner in Hoffmann Eitle’s Düsseldorf office on 1 March 2026. The firm has had a presence in Düsseldorf for some time, but is now looking to expand its lawyer team there.

The office is in the midst of restructuring, as is the firm’s litigation practice overall. Patent attorney Thomas Becher recently departed the Düsseldorf office for Hoyng ROKH Monegier. However, at the start of the year, Hoffmann Eitle brought on board a large, market-leading patent attorney team for pharmaceutical litigation from König Szynka Tillmann von Renesse in Düsseldorf.

Smeets’ addition is said to be the beginning of the firm’s efforts to establish its own lawyer team in North Rhine-Westphalia’s capital. More lawyers are expected to follow. Until now, Hoffmann Eitle has concentrated its lawyer team in Munich.

One to watch 2025

Smeets has a broad specialisation. The former Bird & Bird counsel’s repertoire includes electronics and mechanics litigation, as well as preserving evidence and bank guarantees.

As a junior associate, Smeets began working for car manufacturer Valeo. His recent UPC activities include defending entertainment device manufacturers such as TCL, LG and Hisense against Corning in a dispute over the chemical composition of safety glass. Smeets is also well-versed in FRAND law. Two years ago, he was involved in Huawei’s battle with Amazon over wi-fi routers in Germany.

Bird & Bird had recently built up a strong team of young lawyers, including Smeets. After gaining in prominence, JUVE Patent nominated him as one of the five Ones To Watch in Germany in 2025.

Investment in the litigation team

His arrival follows the reorganisation of Hoffmann Eitle’s litigation team as a whole. In the summer, it was announced that two long-standing litigators, Mike Gruber and Niels Hölder, would leave the firm for competitor Carpmaels & Ransford. Hölder is moving to the UK firm at the end of the year. Both have a strong focus on pharmaceutical litigation, given Hoffmann Eitle’s emphasis on the life sciences industry.

Shortly after, Hoffmann Eitle announced the addition of Thomas Gniadek in Munich. As the new co-chair of Hoffmann Eitle’s patent litigation group, he will now be responsible for reorienting the practice towards additional technical areas and building up the litigation team in Düsseldorf. Gniadek complements Hoffmann Eitle’s strong pharmaceutical focus with his expertise in mobile communications and SEP cases.

Despite the staff changes, Hoffmann Eitle has recently seen a significant increase in UPC proceedings across a broad spectrum of technologies. This development is thanks to one of the largest patent attorney teams in Europe and its extensive scope. The addition of Smeets in March will bring the patent litigation team to 11 lawyers.