Our lawyers have been recognised across four practice areas in the IP STARS 2026 guide, with five of our intellectual property lawyers individually listed. Produced by Managing IP, IP STARS is the leading international directory focused solely on intellectual property, and is widely used by brand owners, patent holders and in-house lawyers when selecting IP counsel.

We held our position in Patent disputes, Trade mark disputes and Trade mark prosecution, and are once again Recommended in Copyright. The consistency across these categories reflects the breadth of our IP work in New Zealand: from contentious patent and trade mark matters through to brand protection, prosecution strategy and copyright advice for clients operating in increasingly digital markets.

IP / ICT Partner Richard Watts says of the recognition: “It’s great to see the team recognised again, and to see Sarah’s new ranking. We’ve got a genuinely strong group of IP specialists working on complex and high stakes matters for clients. Recognition like this really comes back to the quality of our team and the way they go about delivering excellent outcomes for our clients.”

The following individuals were recognised in the 2026 guide:

• Richard Watts, Partner and head of our IP / ICT national practice group: Patent Star and Trade mark Star
• Jania Baigent, Partner: Trade mark Star
• Sarah Chapman, Special Counsel: Notable Practitioner (new ranking)
• Anita Birkinshaw, Special Counsel: Rising Sta
• Raymond Scott, Senior Associate: Rising Star.

Rankings are based on a year-long programme of independent research, written submissions and confidential interviews with clients and senior practitioners across the Asia-Pacific region and globally.

For our team, this recognition is a reflection of the work they do every day for clients across New Zealand and internationally, and a marker of the specialist depth our clients can draw on.