Next loss for Simmons as UK Head of IP moves to Carpmaels

Kevin Cordina joins Carpmaels & Ransford as a partner in the engineering and tech group. As a UK and European patent attorney with a background in electronic engineering, he advises clients in the electronics, telecoms, software, and medical devices sectors on patent prosecution and enforcement, including standard essential patents.

Cordina spent more than eight years at Simmons & Simmons, where he served as head of patent prosecution from 2018 and most recently as head of UK IP since May 2023. Prior to that he spent 12 years at CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang and Olswang. In 2017 the latter firm merged into CMS. Cordina began his career as a research engineer at Nortel Networks before qualifying as a patent attorney at Abel & Imray.

At Carpmaels, Cordina is expected to combine portfolio management with litigation before the European Patent Office and the Unified Patent Court. Cordina is registered as UPC representative. In patent prosecution his best known client is Apple. Most recently, his work has focused primarily on patent filing and EPO opposition proceedings. In 2022, he was member of the pan-European litigation team at Simmons advising Xiaomi against Philips over UMTS patents.

Second London hire in anniversary year

It is not yet clear exactly when Cordina will move to Carpmaels. Cordina is the second partner hire at Carpmaels in 2026, which marks the firm’s 250th anniversary. His arrival adds to the firm’s engineering and tech practice headed by John Brunner.

“As we look back and celebrate the firm’s achievements over the last 250 years, we also have a keen eye on the future, investing in exceptional individuals like Kevin, and evolving our offering to ensure we continue to offer world-class patent advice to our clients across all major technology areas,” Brunner says.

The firm has steadily built its litigation capacity in recent years, leveraging its early success at the UPC. Carpmaels has around 100 qualified UPC representatives. It made an early mark at the new court in life sciences disputes, including representing Sanofi and Regeneron, Curio Bioscience, Merz Pharmaceuticals and SharkNinja.

In summer 2025, the firm recruited London litigation partner Andrew Hutchinson from Simmons & Simmons to strengthen its UPC offering. Late last year, Carpmaels also expanded into Germany by hiring Hoffmann Eitle associate partner Mike Gruber. On 1 January 2026 he was followed by former Hoffmann Eitle equity partner Niels Hölder. Both were the firm’s first German lawyers, tasked with developing the Munich office, previously used mainly for EPO work, into a full-service location.

Turbulence at Simmons & Simmons

After boosting its ranks in Paris with the addition of Abdelaziz Khatab in 2024, Simmons & Simmons has seen a series of exits from its European patent practice. In the UK, following on from Hutchinson’s departure a year ago, litigation partner Priya Nagpal recently moved to Wiggin after nine years at the firm. Scott Parker is now the sole remaining patent litigation partner in London. Eight associates work alongside him.

The firm has also seen departures in continental Europe. In January 2025 Dutch patent attorney Johan Renes moved to Plasseraud, with Dutch partners Bas Berghuis van Woortman and Sebastien Versaevel joining Taylor Wessing later that year. Also last October, Munich-based equity partner Thomas Gniadek announced his move to Hoffmann Eitle. In addition, French partner François Jonquères jumped ship to Plasseraud in early 2026.

The moves mark a setback for Simmons & Simmons‘ UPC ambitions. The firm has a strong presence at the UPC, usually deploying international teams that include the London patent practice. For example, a pan-Europeam team led by German lawyers represented SiBio in the intensive battle against Abbott at various UPC divisions over glucose-monitoring devices. The firm was also instructed previously by Genevant, Danieli and Honeywell for UPC cases. Furthermore, a team including French, Dutch, German, and British patent litigators advised Apple as intervening party in various mobile communication battles.

Simmons’ London team is also coordinating various pan-European patent cases, such as for Samsung Bioepis against Janssen. Samsung Bioepis and GSK are important litigation clients of the UK team. The European team now comprises 43 IP lawyers and eleven patent attorneys working in Amsterdam, Düsseldorf, Munich, Milan, London, and Paris. Simmons & Simmons has announced further growth in the UK and Europe. (Co-author: Laura King)