Next US firm enters London patent market after CMS hire
Patent and IP litigator Caitlin Heard is moving from CMS to the US law firm Perkins Coie. This marks the next US firm to enter the European patent market. But first the law firm, which was targeted by US President Donald Trump in 2025, still has a merger with Ashurst in the pipeline.
2 April 2026 by Mathieu Klos
It is not yet decided when Caitlin Heard will move to Perkins Coie as partner. Managing IP first reported the move.
Heard currently serves as co-head of the international IP practice group at CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang. She is qualified as a solicitor advocate and also via Ireland as a UPC representative. Her professional focus lies on technology-related disputes, including litigation concerning SEPs and FRAND.
Caitlin Heard
Heard has worked for most of her career at CMS Cameron McKenna and Olswang, which merged in 2017 into CMS Cameron McKenna. In 2019 the firm promoted Heard to partner.
At CMS, Heard has been involved in several cross-border proceedings. Her recent work included clients such as Microsoft, Hydrawell and Sainsbury’s Supermarkets. She also played a role in various disputes in the life sciences sector.
In 2024, JUVE Patent listed Heard in its Ones to Watch UK.
The brave
Most recently, her new firm was the focus of a political and legal dispute with the US government. In March 2025, US President Donald Trump issued an executive order specifically targeting Perkins Coie and other law firms. The Trump administration wanted to withdraw government contracts from the law firm and cancel security clearances for lawyers because of its links to the Democratic Party, including the 2016 election campaign.
While other US law firms reached settlements with the Trump administration, Perkins Coie filed a lawsuit. In May 2025, a US federal court declared the executive order unconstitutional and permanently blocked its implementation. The Trump administration appealed the decision.
Big changes ahead
Caitlin Heard’s move comes ahead of major changes at the firm. Last November, Perkins Coie and Ashurst announced a planned merger to create a top-20 global law firm named Ashurst Perkins Coie. The merger is expected to complete later this year following a partner vote.
The new firm will not have a single head office but will maintain hubs in Seattle, London, Sydney, and New York. Ashurst merged with Australia’s Blake Dawson more than a decade ago. The combined firm will employ 3,000 lawyers in 52 offices across 23 countries.
With the addition of Heard, Perkins Coie is expanding its IP practice in Europe. In the US, the IP practice comprises more than 250 fee earners. The practice is highly regarded for its work in patent litigation, particularly its work for companies such as Amazon, Nintendo, Microsoft and Google.
In Europe, however, the firm does not yet have its own patent experts. In its small London office, it advises on mergers and acquisitions as well as technology transactions and has a general litigation team. The merger with Ashurst is unlikely to change its position in European patent law. Despite the latter having a large IP team in London and experts in several continental European cities, its visibility in European patent litigation is relatively low. Hiring Heard therefore likely heralds the establishment of a patent litigation team in Europe.
American arrivals
Following the successful launch of the UPC, US law firms have begun to show great interest in patent litigation in Europe. Most recently, Morgan Lewis hired well-known patent teams in London and Germany. In London, Jones Day and Wilmer Hale are also active with well-known patent litigation teams. However, Kirkland & Ellis has been most successful in establishing a patent litigation team in London, which is now a market leader in UK patent law.
In future, the US practice of Winston & Strawn will likely gain greater influence in UK patent litigation as the US firm and Taylor Wessing UK will finalise their merger in May. The latter will contribute a large patent team. In addition, the Belgian and Dutch Taylor Wessing offices will join the new firm with significant patent teams.
