Pinsent Masons hires Simmons & Simmons patent attorney for London IP team

Fred Nicolle began his career in 2006 as a technical assistant at London-based patent attorney firm Ablett & Stebbing, where he was promoted to associate in 2010. He qualified as a UK patent attorney and as a European patent attorney. After stints at Elkington and Fife and Carpmaels & Ransford, he joined Simmons & Simmons in 2018, where he was most recently a managing associate.

Nicolle focuses on chemistry and life sciences, with an emphasis on patent litgation before the European Patent Office and national courts. He is also qualified as a representative at the Unified Patent Court.

At Pinsent Masons, Nicolle joins a London IP team of around 23 lawyers and patent attorneys, which has a strong focus on life sciences disputes. The team regularly acts for generic drug manufacturers such as Teva and Accord Healthcare. Most recently, a team led by partner Christopher Sharp advised Accord in a dispute with Novartis over the cardiovascular drug Entresto.

Continued European build-out

Nicolle’s appointment is the latest in a series of hires in Pinsent Masons’ European IP and life sciences practices. In the summer, the firm hired Kai Rüting and Philipp Widera from Vossius & Partner in Düsseldorf, reopening its German patent litigation practice after several years without a dedicated team. Rüting focuses on life sciences disputes, while Widera has been active primarily in SEP litigation, including at the UPC.

Also over the summer, legal director Lily Robinson joined the life sciences team in London, bringing experience in licensing and collaboration transactions.

The firm’s European patent activities are currently organised around the London team, an Amsterdam team of five lawyers under Judith Krens, and smaller teams in Paris and Dublin. The Dutch office also has a strong life sciences focus and works closely with the London practice on cross-border matters, including recent UPC instructions from Organon in a dispute with Roche and Genentech, and from Advanced Cell Diagnostics against Molecular Instruments.

UPC in focus

The build-up of patent attorney capability in London complements the firm’s strategic push at the UPC. Charlotte Weekes, head of life sciences at Pinsent Masons, says Nicolle’s experience “in patent oppositions, UPC litigation and his sector knowledge will further strengthen our ability to help clients protect and maximise the value of their innovations”.

Nicolle himself points to the pan-European nature of the platform as a key attraction, citing the opportunity to work with colleagues across Europe and to help develop the firm’s patent attorney capability.

Dwindling team

Simmons & Simmons’s European patent practice has seen some turbulence of late. In the UK, following on from Andrew Hutchinson’s departure to Carpmaels & Ransford in July 2025, litigation partner Priya Nagpal moved to Wiggin last May after nine years at the firm. Then, in June, partner and patent attorney Kevin Cordina announced he was also moving to Carpmaels. 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. 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.