Skip to main content

Dr Benjamin Shepherd

Associate

Ben’s work primarily involves drafting and prosecuting UK and European patent applications, as well as the prosecution of foreign patent applications. He has experience in providing freedom to operate advice, including infringement opinions, as well as validity opinions, and is experienced with IP transactions. Additionally, he has experience with opposition and appeal proceedings before the European Patent Office.

One of Ben’s main highlights is that he has been fortunate enough to have been involved with a varied mix of technical subject areas, ranging from small-scale mechanical inventions to larger-scale configurations and control methods for oil and gas operations, as well as control methods for electrical grids.

He has a background in chemical engineering and works in a variety of subject areas, including oil and gas technologies, electrical grid control, personal care and hygiene appliances, medical devices, and mechanical devices, among others.

The size of clients he works with ranges from solo inventors to multinational corporations. Every client has particular needs and involves particular subject areas, and he enjoys providing a tailored approach to such needs. The variety of his clients keeps things fresh and allows him to experience different fields of technology.

Ben has a Master’s degree and a PhD in Chemical Engineering. His PhD involved process development to efficiently produce pyrolysis oil (“bio-oil”) from the pyrolysis of woody biomass, with a view to providing alternatives to conventional oil. This was quite different from his Master’s thesis, which involved designing an efficient gas flaring system of an oil rig located in the North Sea.  Whilst training to become a UK patent attorney, Ben won the Keith Farwell Prize for the highest mark in the Trade Mark Law exam.

Ben enjoys cooking and trying new recipes, playing the guitar, occasionally playing video games, and watching movies (especially horror films).