Dr. Leonie Reichardt, LL.M.

As an attorney-at-law in the Intellectual Property Practice Group in Munich, I specialise in German, European and Chinese patent law. My practice centres on patent litigation, where I represent clients in disputes before the Unified Patent Court (UPC) and national courts. Further, I provide legal advice on strategic patent-related decisions, such as negotiating license or settlement agreements and developing intellectual property strategies tailored to the client's business needs.

As patent litigator and UPC representative, I represent both international and national clients in patent infringement and revocation proceedings before the UPC and German courts. My practice spans life sciences, telecommunications, electrical engineering and renewable energy, enabling me to navigate the technical and legal complexities inherent to these industries. Acting for clients across Europe, Japan and China, I advocate effectively for both claimants and defendants in contentious matters.

At the intersection of patent and competition law, I handle FRAND disputes, advising both on the enforcement of standard-essential patents and on mounting robust defences to infringement assertions through antitrust-based compulsory licensing arguments.

Strategic counselling forms a key part of my practice. Working closely with my international colleagues at Bird & Bird, I develop tailored cross-border patent strategies ranging from drafts and negotiations of contractual agreements to their enforcement. I provide strategic legal advice regarding patent-related risks, craft defence responses to infringement allegations, and guide clients through FRAND-compliant licensing negotiations for standard-essential patents.

In the M&A context, I conduct patent due diligence assessments, evaluating portfolio strength, identifying latent risks, and addressing potential liabilities, including outstanding employee inventor compensation claims.

I am an active member of the German Association for Intellectual Property and Copyright Law (GRUR), the Licensing Executives Society (LES), and the Association for the Advancement of Intellectual Property Law at the Chair of Business Law and Intellectual Property, Technical University of Munich.