Pinsent Masons German patent practice is set to reopen in Düsseldorf as two former Vossius partners join the firm in September.
New partners to rebuild the German team
Kai Rüting and Philipp Widera will leave Vossius & Partner for the London‑based firm, aiming to restore its patent litigation capabilities in Germany.
The move follows a pattern seen three years ago when another international firm revived its German litigation bench after a series of defections.
Pinsent Masons once ran a sizable Munich team in the 2010s, but over several years partners departed for rivals, leaving a skeletal presence.
Most recently, Marc Holtorf, who handled generic drug cases for the firm, switched to Reed Smith in May, further shrinking the German footprint.
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Now the practice will restart from Düsseldorf, initially without associates, though plans to add staff are already on the table.
Implications for the European patent setting.
Rüting entered Vossius in 2015 after roles at Taylor Wessing, Bird & Bird and Jones Day, and earned partnership that year.
Widera began at Preu Bohlig & Partner, moved through Simmons & Simmons, and became a Vossius partner in 2024.
Both lawyers handle a range of patent disputes. Rüting focuses on life‑sciences cases, recently representing Alcon and defending a supplementary protection certificate for the Parkinson’s drug Xadago.
Widera’s recent work includes standard‑essential‑patent fights for Oppo and ZTE, as well as a settled UPC dispute involving Sun Patent Trust and Vivo.
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The two will cooperate with a five‑lawyer Amsterdam office led by Judith Krens, targeting United‑European‑Patent‑Court matters that have grown in importance.
In the short term, the German office will rely on the London hub, which fields 23 lawyers and patent attorneys, many of whom advise generic‑drug makers like Teva and Accord Healthcare.
The London group also supports SEP and FRAND disputes under the direction of partner James Marshall, supporting cross‑border collaboration.
“The UPC has accelerated the need for clients to access coordinated, technically strong patent litigation advice across Europe. Germany is central to that market, and the arrival of Kai and Philipp gives us a significant new capability in one of the most important patent litigation jurisdictions,” says Judith Krens, co‑head of IP at Pinsent Masons.
