Robert Andrews

Focus on Inclusivity

Robert is our Chief Inclusion & Diversity Officer (CIDO). A key aspect of that role is developing and executing our I&D strategy, and providing the link between our Management Board (of which he is a member) and the groups and individuals whose day-to-day enthusiasm brings our strategy to life.

As part of his thought leadership in this role, Robert has featured regularly in the media (see examples here, here, and here).

Robert is also an active member of IP Inclusive Management (IPIM), the leadership body of IP Inclusive, the UK’s leading sector-wide advocate for equality, diversity, inclusion and wellbeing in the IP professions. Along with the other members of our Management Board, Robert is a signatory to the IP Inclusive Senior Leader’s Pledge.

In recognition of his contribution to I&D in the IP sector, Robert was named as a WIPR - World IP Review Diversity 2022 Champion.

Technical & Commercial Expertise

Robert is an enthusiastic and accomplished attorney with 20 years of experience in developing and executing commercially astute patent strategies for businesses of all sizes.

"Robert Andrews and the team at Mewburn Ellis have provided outstanding intellectual property counsel. Their technical expertise and strategic guidance on patent matters have been invaluable to our business. They consistently deliver precise advice that aligns perfectly with our commercial priorities". [IP Manager, European Oncology SME]

Robert has deep expertise in the oncology field, working with both small molecule and antibody therapeutics. Antibody-Drug Conjugate (ADC) technology is a real passion, with Robert having supported ADC companies all the way from start-up to first drug approval (see the interview with Patrick van Berkel, CSO of ADC Therapeutics).

His work with ADC innovators enables him to stay at the leading edge of this dynamic and exciting area, where his enthusiasm for his clients’ technology and business allows him to deliver consistently excellent strategic advice.

“There aren’t many Patent Attorneys as knowledgeable and excited about the ADC field.” [CSO, UK ADC SME]

Korean focus

Alongside his clients in UK and Europe, Robert works with many Korea-based biopharmas. Robert’s involvement with the Korean biopharma sector stretches back to 2014, when he spent several months living and working in Seoul. 

That period sparked an interest and seeded a professional network that has blossomed in the subsequent decade. Robert now works with a range of companies in the dynamic K-Bio sector, which happily takes him back to Seoul regularly.  

Recommendations

Robert is recognised as a "key lawyer" in the 2023-2025 editions of The Legal 500.

Qualifications and Career

Robert has a Masters in Biochemistry (MBioc) from the University of Oxford and a Masters in Philosophy (MPhil) from the University of Cambridge. He remained at Cambridge to complete his PhD in the molecular biology of cell polarity.

Robert joined Mewburn Ellis LLP in 2006, qualifying as a Chartered Patent Attorney in 2010 and a European Patent Attorney in 2011. He joined the partnership in 2015.

Opposition highlights

Robert has worked on multiple opposition cases, including:

EP2188381, Dansico vs one party: Opposing an Iogen Energy Corporation patent (one of a group of 4 linked oppositions) covering industrial fermentation enzyme mixtures with scope far exceeding the supporting experimental data. Robert succeeded in having the patent revoked at opposition.

EP2591119, Dansico vs one party: Opposing a Novozymes patent covering industrial fermentation reactions comprising GH61 polypeptides. Successfully narrowed claims to clarify our client's freedom to operate in a commercially important space. 

EP1877568, Danisco vs one party: Opposing a Novozymes patent covering industrial fermentation reactions comprising LARF polypeptides. Robert successfully narrowed claims to clarify our client's freedom to operate in a commercially important space.