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Trademark Paralegal (NL)
Trademark Paralegal
European Patent Attorney - Engineering
European Patent Attorney - Chemistry
Spontaneous applications
Submit your CV and motivation to jobs@dcp-ip.com.
Trademark Paralegal (NL)
Trademark Paralegal
European Patent Attorney - Engineering
European Patent Attorney - Chemistry
Submit your CV and motivation to jobs@dcp-ip.com.
Ann De Clercq holds a Licentiate in Biology (Zoology) and PhD in Plant Molecular Biology from the University of Ghent, Belgium at the Laboratory of Genetics, Department of Plant Molecular Biology (under supervision of Prof. Van Montagu and Prof. Joel Vandekerckhove) carried out in collaboration with Plant Genetic Systems (PGS). After her PhD she worked as a substantive examiner at the European Patent Office in Munich, Germany. She afterwards headed the Patent Department of Innogenetics NV, a Belgian biotech company active in human healthcare. She is a qualified Belgian (2000) and European Patent Attorney (1995). In 2023, Ann obtained the Diploma on Patent Litigation in Europe from at Politecnico Milano. She has been registered as a representative before the Unified Patent Court (UPC).
End 1998, she founded Ann De Clercq & Co BVBA, a private practice patent attorney firm which, in its turn, founded De Clercq Brants & Partners CVBA in 2000 named De Clercq & Partners CVBA as from January 2010.
Ann is the Chairwoman of the Biotech Committee of the Institute of Professional Representatives before the European Patent Office (EPI) and an EPI council member for Belgium.
Ann is further a Board member of the Flanders national and East-Flanders Chamber of Commerce (VOKA).
Ann has lectured on several IP related topics, at conferences, the Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School, the University of Antwerp and the Free University of Brussels, and is also a lecturer at the CEIPI courses (KVIV in Antwerp) for patent attorney trainees and patent paralegals.
Managing Intellectual Property (MIP) singled out Ann every year as Leading IP Star from 2017 to 2022. Moreover she was listed in MIP's Top 250 Women in IP for the last seven years and was named as Global Leader in the IAM Strategy 300 Guide in 2021, Patent Leader by WIPR in 2021 and Global Leader in IAM Patent 1000 in 2023.
Ann is a native Dutch speaker and is very fluent in English and fluent in French and German.
Ann has extensive patent practice experience in all fields of biotechnology and related life sciences as well as mechanical engineering inventions. For instance Ann has worked in the fields of biochemistry, molecular and cellular biology, biopharmaceuticals and chemistry. She has particular knowledge and expertise in the area of recombinant , microorganisms, genetically modified plants and animals, protein chemistry, stem cells, regenerative cell therapy, diagnostic assays, proteomics, biomarkers, diagnostics including nucleic acid- and protein-based diagnostic and screening assays, pharmaceuticals, genome editing, food processing, medical kits, veterinary products and others.
Liesbet Paemen holds a PhD in Animal Biology from the University of Leuven, Belgium. She has several years of post-doctoral experience at the Department of Neuroimmunology at the State University of New York and at the Department of Molecular Immunology of the REGA Institute (University of Leuven, Belgium). She is a qualified European Patent Attorney. In 2023, Liesbet obtained the Diploma on Patent Litigation in Europe from at Politecnico Milano. She has been registered as a representative before the Unified Patent Court (UPC).
Prior to joining De Clercq & Partners in 2008, Liesbet worked as a patent counsel in the Intellectual Property Department of Bayer Cropscience NV and headed the biotech IP department in the firm Bird Goën & Co. In 2010 Liesbet became a partner to the firm and she is heading the Leuven Branch of the firm.
Liesbet often lectures on several IP related topics, at conferences, the Catholic University of Leuven, the Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School, the University of Antwerp and the Free University of Brussels (PharmEd program), and is also a lecturer at the CEIPI course (KVIV in Antwerp). She is a member of LES and AIPPI.
Liesbet is praised in the IAM Patent 1000 and was named Global Leader for the past three years for her skills both as a Patent Attorney and as a teacher.
She is a native Dutch speaker and English speaker, is fluent in French, and has knowledge of German and Spanish.
Liesbet has experience in handling intellectual property issues in different fields including medical devices, biomedical, agricultural and industrial biotechnology, plant molecular biology, modified plants and animals, biologics, cellular therapy, genome editing, screening systems and diagnostic methods, and renewable energy.
Andrej holds a Master of Science degree in Chemistry and Biochemistry from Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovak Republic, and a PhD in Molecular Genetics from the University of Antwerp, Belgium, under the supervision of Prof Christine Van Broeckhoven (Flanders Institute for Biotechnology, VIB).
He joined De Clercq & Partners in 2004 and qualified as a European Patent Attorney in 2008. In 2017 Andrej became a partner to the firm. In 2019, Andrej obtained the Diploma on Patent Litigation in Europe from CEIPI at the University of Strasbourg. Andrej has been registered as a representative before the Unified Patent Court (UPC).
He is a lecturer at the CEIPI courses (ie-net in Antwerp) for patent attorney trainees ,the Advanced Master in Biotech and MedTech Ventures of Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management, and the BioBusiness Accelerator Programme of HELIS Academy, and often lectures at conferences as well. Andrej is a full member of the European Patent Practice Committee (EPPC) of the Institute of Professional Representatives before the European Patent Office (epi). Furthermore, he is a member of LES and AIPPI.
IAM Patent 1000 recommends Andrej for his skills as a patent attorney.
He is a native speaker of Slovak, is very fluent in English, fluent in Dutch and Czech, and has a working knowledge of German.
Biotechnology, biochemistry, molecular and cellular biology, biopharmaceuticals and chemistry. He has particular knowledge and expertise in the area of recombinant microorganisms, genetically modified plants and animals, stem cells, regenerative cell therapy, in vitro cell-based assays, proteomics, peptides, glycoproteins, biomarkers, genome editing, diagnostics including nucleic acid- and protein-based diagnostic and screening assays, immune cell therapy, vaccines, organic chemistry and pharmaceuticals, food processing and personal care products.
Sakina Bounaga holds a PhD in Bioorganic Chemistry from the University of Huddersfield, UK. She has a Master of Advanced Studies in Chemistry of Biomolecules from the University of Montpellier, France, and holds a Master in Plant Chemistry and Biology from the University of Perpignan, France. She was a Senior Scientist and Project Leader at Cropdesign N.V., a leading Belgian biotech company.
Sakina joined De Clercq & Partners in 2001 and qualified as a European Patent Attorney in 2006. She became a Partner in 2010. In 2023, Sakina obtained the Diploma on Patent Litigation in Europe from at Politecnico Milano. She has been registered as a representative before the Unified Patent Court (UPC).
She often lectures at conferences and is a member of LES and AIPPI.
Sakina is praised in the IAM Patent 1000 as an extraordinarily skilled Patent Attorney in Chemistry.
Sakina is a native French speaker, is fluent in English, and has a working knowledge of Dutch and German.
Sakina has a scientific experience in various fields of technology including chemistry, life sciences and material sciences, and in particular in organic chemistry, polymer chemistry, small moleclues, pharmaceutical chemistry, biology, biochemistry and biotechnology.
Koen Vanhalst holds a PhD in Biotechnology from the University of Ghent (Belgium), at the Department of Molecular Biomedical Research, Molecular Cell Biology Unit under Prof. Dr. F. Van Roy (Flanders Institute for Biotechnology, VIB).
Prior to joining De Clercq & Partners, Koen worked for 4 years as an Examiner in the European Patent Office - The Hague Branch, involved in both Search and Substantive Examination of patent applications in the field of Biotechnology in general and Medical Diagnostics in particular. He qualified as a European Patent Attorney in 2009 and qualified as a Belgian Patent Attorney in 2011. In 2017 Koen became a partner to the firm. In 2023, Koen obtained the Diploma on Patent Litigation in Europe from at Politecnico Milano. He has been registered as a representative before the Unified Patent Court (UPC).
Koen often lectures at conferences and is a member of EPI, LES and AIPPI. Koen is a member of the Belgian Council for Intellectual Property, appointed by the Federal Government. Within the Belgian group of AIPPI, Koen is a council member.
Since 2015 Koen is guest professor at Ghent University where he lectures Intellectual Property to Master students in (Plant)Biotechnology.
Koen was in 2021 also elected as Vice-President of the Council of the Institute of Belgian patent Attorneys, where he is helping to start up the Institute.
Koen was repeatedly praised in the IAM Patent 1000 since 2018.
Koen is a native Dutch speaker. He is also very fluent in English, fluent in French and has a working knowledge of German.
Koen is active in all areas of life sciences including for example: biotechnology, industrial biotechnology, chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology, genome editing, pharmaceutical formulations, medical technologies, bioinformatics, agricultural- food- and nutritional technologies, green energy, clean-tech, and water-, soil- and waste treatment.
Joost Muylle holds a master degree in chemical and biotechnology engineering from the University of Ghent (Howest, 1986) with additional training in intellectual property (EPI CEIPI, 1990 - University of Leuven, 1993) and management (Vlerick Leuven Ghent Management School, 2008). He started his professional career at the Vandemoortele Group, first as a patent expert, subsequently in charge of intellectual property rights and finally as a member of the strategic committee on product and market development.
He qualified as a European Trademark and Design attorney in 1996.
He has extensive expertise in trademark, design and domain names prosecution, including formal proceedings before the Benelux Office for Intellectual Property and the European Union Intellectual Property Office.
Prior to joining De Clercq & Partners, Joost joined the intellectual property private practice in 1999 as director of Gevers & Partners in Brussels, opened its branch office in Ghent and was appointed managing director in 2003. He was operational director at Novagraaf in Paris from 2010 to 2011 and founded iprmanager in December 2011. Through iprmanager, he developed and launched an electronic platform enabling intellectual property holders and their counselors to monitor and manage their intellectual property rights themselves, in real-time and in a reliable, transparent and most affordable manner. In 2012, Joost was appointed consular judge in the Court of Commerce.
In October 2013, Joost became a partner at De Clercq & Partners through the merger of De Clercq & Partners and iprmanager. Joost is heading the trademark, design, domain names and copyright activities of De Clercq & Partners.
Joost advises small, medium and large corporations as well as individuals, institutes and investors with regard to prosecution and litigation in all areas of intellectual property worldwide. He has extensive expertise in trademark and design prosecution, including formal proceedings before the Benelux Office for Intellectual Property and the European Union Intellectual Property Office, in anti-counterfeiting through customs measures and in IP due diligence. Joost often acts as a court appointed or party appointed expert in IP matters in litigation.
Joost often lectures on several IP related topics at conferences and universities. He is a member of BMM, AIPPI and a board member of the Belgian Group of AIPPI.
Managing Intellectual Property (MIP) singled out Joost as Leading IP Star for the last six years and the renowned World Trademark Review (WTR) lists him as a recommended individual as well.
Joost is a native Dutch speaker, is fluent in English and French and has working knowledge of German.
Joost has scientific experience in various fields of technology, including biochemistry and food technology, in legal aspects of intellectual property, particularly trademarks and designs, and in product and service development in various areas of intellectual property.
Bart De Wachter holds a Master degree in Administrative Sciences from the University of Ghent, Belgium and a Master degree in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Antwerp—RUCA, Belgium. He has several years of experience in finance and administration. He started his career at Shipping Company Flandria, Antwerp, Belgium and worked for five years at Generale Bank (Fortis Bank) as an account manager, responsible for the management of an SME-portfolio.
Bart is responsible for administrative, IT and financial matters.
Thomas Baudewijn holds a Master degree in law from the University of Ghent and a subsequent LL.M. in Intellectual Property Rights from the Catholic University of Leuven (KUL).
Thomas started his career as a legal counsel and trademark and design attorney and worked in private practice where he gained extensive and practical training in various aspects of Intellectual Property with an emphasis on trademark and design law, copyright, software, databases and domain names as well as commercial contracts. Thomas qualified as a European Trademark and Design attorney in 2013 and gained further experience with aspects of ICT law.
Thomas has extensive experience in trademark and design prosecution, including formal proceedings before the Benelux Office for Intellectual Property and the European Union Intellectual Property Office, in opposition matters, infringement and enforcement cases. Thomas provides clients with strategic and hands-on advice on the protection, maintenance and management of small and large trademark and design portfolios and he also assists in negotiations and drafting of agreements relating to Intellectual Property and ICT.
Thomas joined De Clercq & Partners as a Legal Counsel and European Trademark and Design Attorney in April 2016.
Thomas is a member of AIPPI [International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property] and the ‘BMM’ [Benelux Association for Trademark and Design Law].
In 2022, he was newly added to the list of recommended individuals of the renowned World Trademark Review (WTR).
Thomas is a native Dutch speaker but also speaks English and French fluently.
Jeff has a degree in Biochemistry and Chemistry from the University of Sheffield, UK, and a PhD in Pharmacy (Biophysics) from the University of Manchester, UK. He gained postdoctoral experience in molecular modelling from the Division of Molecular Structure at the MRC National Institute of Medical Research, London, UK.
Jeff joined De Clercq & Partners in 2002 and qualified as a European Patent Attorney in 2010.
Jeff is recommended in the IAM Patent 1000 directory of legal and attorney firms and individual practitioners for his work in mechanical, engineering, software and chemistry industries. He was also named Rising Star by MIP 2019.
Jeff regularly lectures on aspects of intellectual property, and has written several published articles.
He is a member of LES Benelux and AIPPI Belgium.
Jeff was named MIP Rising Star in Intellectual Property in 2019 and is recommended in the IAM Patent 1000 directory of legal and attorney firms and individual practitioners for his work in mechanical, engineering, software and chemistry industries.
Jeff is a native English speaker, with a working knowledge of Dutch, French and German.
Jeff has scientific experience in various technologies covering mechanical engineering, software and chemistry fields. Application areas include medical technologies, software, machine learning, wearables, packaging, metrological equipment, compositions, wireless connected devices, general mechanical devices. Clients are drawn from many sectors including engineering, healthcare, chemistry, consumer goods and products, diagnostics, transport, and electronics.
Kris Pappaert holds a Master of Science in Bio-engineering Sciences and a PhD in Applied Sciences (Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium, Transport Modelling and Analytical Separation Science group, Department Chemical Engineering), under Prof. Dr. ir. Gert Desmet. After two years as a Post-doctoral researcher at the same department, Kris joined the team of De Clercq & Partners in 2007. In 2011, he qualified as a European Patent Attorney. In 2023, Kris obtained the Diploma on Patent Litigation in Europe at the University of Maastricht. He has been registered as a representative before the Unified Patent Court (UPC).
Since 2014 Kris is a guest lecturer on Intellectual Property at the Vrije Universteit Brussel (VUB) where he introduces Intellectual Property matters to students in Master of Science in Bio-Engineering Sciences.
In 2019, the acclaimed MIP Awards named Kris a Rising Star in patent prosecution.
Kris is a native Dutch speaker, is fluent in English and French, and has knowledge of Spanish and German.
Kris has a general scientific and working experience in various fields of technology including life sciences, chemistry, food technology and engineering and more specifically, application in biotechnology, pharmacology, analytical (bio)chemistry, diagnostic and prognostic methods and tools, medical devices and micro- and nanotechnology but also chemical engineering and processing, catalyst technology, mechanical engineering and construction.
Caroline Hennin holds a Master degree in Bio-Engineering Sciences (Agronomy - option Crop protection) from the University of Ghent, Belgium, and obtained a PhD in Applied Biological Sciences (Agricultural Sciences – Biotechnology) from the University of Ghent, Belgium, at the Department of Crop Protection under Prof. Dr. ir. Monica Höfte, and in collaboration with Aventis CropScience (Bayer CropScience).
Caroline joined De Clercq & Partners in 2002 and qualified as European Patent Attorney in 2008 and as Belgian Patent Attorney in 2019. In 2023, Caroline obtained the Diploma on Patent Litigation in Europe from at Politecnico Milano. She has been registered as a representative before the Unified Patent Court (UPC).
In 2010 she joined the IP department of CropDesign NV as Senior Patent Counsel. CropDesign is an Affiliate of BASF Plant Science, delivering agronomic traits for the global commercial seed markets and developing solutions for improving crop productivity. In 2011 Caroline became head of the IP Department of CropDesign. At CropDesign and BASF Plant Science, Caroline in particular managed all IP aspects of a global R&D project aiming to develop and commercialise transgenic rice showing yield increase.
Caroline re-joined the team of De Clercq & Partners in July 2016.
Caroline is a member of LES.
Caroline is a native Dutch and French speaker, is very fluent in English, and has a working knowledge of German.
Caroline has scientific and patent experience in various fields of life sciences, chemistry and engineering sciences; including biotechnology, plant variety protection & plant breeding, crop protection, phytopathology, agrochemicals and biologicals, enabling technologies, molecular biology, feed and food technology, polymer chemistry, pharmaceutical and cosmetic applications, and engineering technologies.
Tom Liessens holds a Master degree in law from the University of Ghent and a subsequent LL.M. in Intellectual Property Rights from the Catholic University of Leuven (KUL).
Tom started his career as a lawyer-trainee in 2014 in private practice and gained experience in various aspects of Commercial law, Intellectual Property law and Information Technology law.
He provides clients with strategic and hands-on advice on the protection, maintenance and management of small and large trademark and design portfolios and he also assists in negotiations and drafting agreements relating to Intellectual Property.
Tom joined De Clercq & Partners as a Legal Counsel and Benelux Trademark and Design Attorney in October 2015. In January 2018, he successfully completed the two-year professional training course organized by the Benelux Association for Trademark- and Design law (BMM) and qualified as a BMM Certified Trade Mark Attorney. Additionally, Tom has successfully completed a Data protection Certification training and is De Clercq & Partners’ go-to person for matters relating to GDPR. In October 2019, Tom also qualified as European Trademark and Design Attorney.
Tom is a native Dutch speaker but also speaks English and French fluently.
Tom is a member of ‘LES Benelux’ [Licensing Executives Society Benelux], AIPPI [International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property] and the ‘BMM’ [Benelux Association for Trademark and Design Law].
David Lesthaeghe holds a Master of Science in Engineering Physics and a PhD in Engineering from Ghent University, Belgium. He performed his research at the Center for Molecular Modeling (CMM), in collaboration with the Laboratory for Chemical Technology (LCT).
Prior to joining De Clercq & Partners, David worked for three years as a post-doctoral researcher at the same department, which included a research stay at the Unité de Catalyse et de Chimie du Solide, Université Lille 1, France. He joined De Clercq & Partners in September 2010.
David qualified as a European Patent Attorney in July 2014. In 2017, he qualified as a Belgian Patent Attorney, and was registered as a qualified representative before the French Patent Office (INPI). In 2023, he successfully obtained the University degree on Patent Litigation in Europe at the University of Strasbourg (France), qualified as a European Patent Litigator, and registered as a representative before the Unified Patent Court (UPC).
In 2020, 2021 and 2022, David was named Rising Star in Intellectual Property by Managing IP.
David regularly lectures on various aspects of intellectual property. He is a member of LES Benelux and AIPPI Belgium.
David is a native Dutch and English speaker, and is very fluent in French.
David has scientific experience in various fields of chemistry, physics, material science, computer science, and engineering; and is specialised in multidisciplinary inventions that span several fields of science and technology.
More specifically, he is mainly active in fields such as mechanical devices, medical devices, machinery, automotive, electronic devices, photonics, physical chemistry, petrochemistry, polymer chemistry, catalysis, nanomaterials, computer-implemented inventions, software, artificial intelligence, mathematics, and others.
Annelies De Clercq holds a Master of Biochemistry and a PhD in Biotechnology under supervision of Prof. Dr. Dirk Inzé (University of Ghent, Belgium, Department of Plant Systems Biology, Flanders Institute for Biotechnology, VIB).
Prior to joining De Clercq & Partners in 2010, Annelies worked for almost three years as a postdoctoral researcher in Molecular and Cellular Biology focusing on cancer immunotherapy under Prof. Dr. Aristides Eliopoulos (Medical School, University of Crete, Greece).
Annelies qualified as a European Patent Attorney in July 2014. In 2023, she successfully obtained the University degree on Patent Litigation in Europe at the University of Strasbourg (France), qualified as a European Patent Litigator, and registered as a representative before the Unified Patent Court (UPC).
Annelies is a native Dutch speaker, is very fluent in English and has a working knowledge of French and a basic knowledge of Greek and German.
Annelies has knowledge and expertise in various fields of technology including life sciences and chemistry and more specifically biochemistry, biotechnology, molecular biology, cell biology and chemical engineering including technical fields such as genetically modified plants and animals, stem cells, cell therapy, in vitro cell-based assays, biomarker-based diagnostic methods and tools, pharmaceuticals, dietary supplements, personal care compositions, proteomics, small molecules, peptides, glycoproteins, vaccines, and polymer films.
Sven Bogaerts holds a Master degree in Bioscience Engineering (Crop Protection) from the University of Ghent, Belgium; a Postgraduate in Cellular Biotechnology from the University of Leuven, Belgium; and a PhD in Biotechnology from the University of Ghent, Belgium, at the Department for Molecular Biomedical Research under Prof. Dr. F. Van Roy (Flanders Institute for Biotechnology, VIB).
Prior to joining De Clercq & Partners in 2008, Sven worked for four years as a postdoctoral researcher in the Laboratory for Molecular Cancer Biology at VIB, under Dr. Jean-Christophe Marine.
Sven qualified as a European Patent Attorney in 2013.
Sven is a native Dutch speaker, is very fluent in English and has a working knowledge of French and German.
Sven has a scientific experience in various fields of chemical, engineering and biological technologies, including food science, pharmacology, and life science – in particular biotechnology, biochemistry, cell biology, cancer biology, immunology, microbiology, molecular biology, plant molecular biology, genetically modified plants and animals, gene editing, genetics, genome editing, and microarrays; as well as agricultural and environmental sciences – in particular crop protection and pest control.
Pieter Gregoir studied Chemistry at Ghent University. In 2009, he received a Master’s degree after finishing a thesis in the field of biomimetic chemistry. Pieter left Ghent and crossed the Channel to complete a DPhil at Pembroke College and the University of Oxford. There he joined the Chemical Biology department and studied multivalent binding events on a single molecular level. As a model system, he looked at the interaction between lectins and a chemically modified ion channel. His DPhil was funded by a Marie Curie Scholarship, which allowed him to perform his research in an international network of universities. He was awarded his DPhil title in 2021.
Prior to joining De Clercq & Partners, Pieter started working in private practice in January 2014. Since June 2016 he is part of the team at De Clercq & Partners. Pieter qualified as a Belgian patent attorney in 2017 and qualified as European Patent Attorney in 2019. In 2023, he successfully obtained the University degree on Patent Litigation in Europe at the University of Strasbourg (France), qualified as a European Patent Litigator, and registered as a representative before the Unified Patent Court (UPC).
Pieter is a member of AIPPI Belgium.
Pieter is a native Dutch speaker, is very fluent in English and has a working knowledge of French.
Chemistry, chemical biology, biochemistry, organic chemistry, carbohydrate chemistry, polymer chemistry, biomimetic chemistry, separation sciences, industrial chemistry, biophysics, (bio)statistics, textiles, coatings, pharmaceutical chemistry, catalysis, biotechnology, mechanical devices.
Delphine Debruyne holds a Master of Science in Bioscience Engineering: Cell and Gene Biotechnology and holds a PhD in Medical Sciences both from the University of Ghent, Belgium. Her PhD was obtained at the laboratory of Experimental Cancer Research under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Marc Bracke.
She joined De Clercq & Partners in March 2010 as Patent Adviser. Delphine qualified as a European Patent Attorney in July 2014.
Delphine is a native Dutch speaker, is very fluent in English and has a working knowledge of French, Spanish and German.
Delphine has a general scientific experience in life sciences related fields and more specifically in biotechnology, including antibody technology and gene therapy, cancer biology, biochemistry, molecular biology, (molecular) pharmacology, nutraceuticals, metabolic engineering, food technology, plant protection and diagnostical methods.
Hans Goesaert holds a Master of Science degree in Bio-engineering Sciences and a PhD in Applied Biological Sciences. He performed his PhD research at the Food & Microbial Technology research group at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, under supervision of Prof. Dr. ir. Jan Delcour, and continued his (applied) scientific research for 6 years as a Post-doctoral researcher at the same department.
Prior to joining De Clercq & Partners in August 2015, he worked for almost 7 years in the IP and patent domain, as an IP officer at the Technology Transfer Office of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, and as a patent counsel in private practice.
In 2015, he qualified as a European Patent Attorney. As of January 2015, Hans is a qualified Belgian Patent Attorney as well.
Hans is also a member of AIPPI Belgium.
Hans is a native Dutch speaker and is fluent in English and French.
Hans has a general scientific and working experience in various fields of technology including chemistry, food technology and engineering and life sciences, such as applications in biotechnology and (bio)chemistry, chemical engineering and processing and catalyst technology, but also material science, analytical and pharmacological (bio)chemistry, and mechanical engineering.
Robrecht Dumarey holds a Master of Sciences in Industrial Engineering from KHBO association of Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium. Main topics: Electronics, microprocessors and data communication. Supplementary options: medical electronics, wireless technology, robotics & cnc.
Prior to joining De Clercq & Partners in 2020, Robrecht worked for over 10 years in in-house Intellectual Property departments of multinationals (Picanol, CNH Industrial) and 10 years in a private practice IP firm.
Robrecht qualified as a Belgian and European Patent Attorney and is a certified Patent Information Specialist. He is also featured as inventor on several patents.
He is a founding member of BEPIUG and previously served as member of SACEPO/PDI.
Robrecht combines extensive experience both in in-house roles and in private practice, where he served clients ranging from high growth startups and innovative SMEs to market leading multinationals. He is mainly active in the technical fields of software, robotics, ai, mechatronics, industrial manufacturing, automation, electronics, satellite communication, telecom, automotive, agricultural machinery, medical devices, battery technology, metal processing, … .
Lieve Coenegrachts holds a Master degree and PhD in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Leuven. During her PhD she performed research on several bone diseases in the Laboratory for Experimental Medicine under the supervision of Prof. Geert Carmeliet. Lieve has several years of post-doctoral experience at the Department of Gynaecologic Oncology (University of Leuven) in collaboration with the industry.
Prior to joining De Clercq & Partners in 2021, Lieve worked for 6 years as a Patent Agent in private practice. Since 2018 she is a qualified European Patent Attorney.
Lieve is a native Dutch speaker and she is very fluent in English. She also has a working knowledge of French.
Lieve has scientific experience in various fields of life sciences and biotechnology, including molecular biology, cell therapy, genetics, cellular and molecular immunology, microbiology, physiology, pharmaceuticals, personal care compositions, cell-based assays, biomarkers, diagnostic methods, and medical devices.
Ann Viaene holds a Master in Biology (Zoology) from the University of Ghent, Belgium and a PhD in Sciences (Biotechnology) from the University of Leuven. She combined her research on oesophageal cancer with a position as University Assistant, teaching students at the faculty of Medicine (KUL, Kortrijk branch), Histology. After her PhD she worked in a postdoc position (FWO) at the Laboratory for Thrombosis Research (KUL, Kortrijk branch). During her academic period, she gained broad experience in Life Sciences.
Ann’s career in Intellectual Property started in 1999 in the start-up of Ann De Clercq & Co BVBA afterwards named De Clercq & Partners, where she qualified in 2003 as a European Patent Attorney. In 2004 she moved to industry where she headed the IP Department of Devgen, a spin-off of the University of Ghent and the Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie (VIB), active in Molecular Genetics and Agriculture, and she participated in Devgen’s successful IPO in 2005. After the acquisition of Asian seed companies, she became Head of IP for all Devgen affiliates worldwide, also managing the PVP and trademark portfolios for all seed products in the Asian production and export countries. In R&D, she coordinated within a multicultural team the regulatory and stewardship activities for deregulation of transgenic rice.
In 2012, Ann was part of the Due Diligence team that resulted in the acquisition of Devgen by Syngenta, one of the top 5 Agribusinesses worldwide. In Syngenta, she was responsible for the RNAi patent portfolio and she was the IP Business Partner for Rice Globally. In September 2015, Ann re-joined De Clercq & Partners as associate to the firm.
Ann is a native Dutch speaker and is very fluent in English, fluent in French with working knowledge of German.
Ann has scientific and patent experience in various fields of biotechnology and related life sciences with working knowledge of chemistry, pharmaceuticals and medical devices. Ann has worked in the field of nucleic acid-based technologies (RNA interference, enabling technologies, et…), biochemistry, molecular and cellular biology, diagnostics including nucleic acid-and protein-based screening assays, biomarkers, veterinary products, recombinant microorganism, genetically modified plants, plant breeding, agrochemicals and pest control.
She further has experience in trademarks, plant variety protection strategies, trade secrets and other related IP tools as well as in legal aspects of intellectual property as in R&D collaborations and licencing. Ann has extended exposure at interacting with and advising business executives as well as scientists active within business’s company.
Dirk Wante holds a PhD in Organic Chemistry from the University of Ghent, Belgium. He is a qualified European Patent Attorney (1990).
After his PhD he joined the Patent Department of Janssen Pharmaceutica NV where he gained extensive experience in the area of pharmaceutical patenting. He then moved to the Johnson & Johnson Brussels patent group where he handled patent matters in the consumer sector and subsequently joined the Patent Department of Tibotec-Virco, a company specialized in virology. Prior to joining De Clercq & Partners in 2012, Dirk worked with Bird Goën & Co where he was mainly involved in the area of chemistry and pharmaceuticals.
Dirk has lectured on several IP related topics, at conferences, at the University of Antwerp and the Free University of Brussels, and is also a lecturer at the CEIPI courses (organized by KVIV in Antwerp) for patent attorney trainees.
Dirk is a native Dutch speaker, is also very fluent in English and has a working knowledge of French and German.
Chemistry, cosmetics, healthcare and pharmaceuticals.
Verónica Rojas de la Parra holds a Bachelor degree in Chemistry Pharmacy-Biology and a Master degree in Medicinal Chemistry from the National Autonomous University of Mexico; and a PhD in Organic Chemistry from the Lund University, Sweden, at the Bioorganic Chemistry Department, under Prof. Dr. Olov Sterner.
Prior to joining De Clercq & Partners, Verónica worked for four years as a Medicinal Chemist and IP manager for reMYND, a Flemish biotech company that specializes in research for disease-modifying treatments against protein misfolding disorders.
She joined De Clercq & Partners in November 2012 as Patent Adviser. Verónica has completed the CEIPI training in European patent law and patent practice (CEIPI Antwerp) and qualified as a European Patent Attorney in 2017.
Verónica is a native Spanish speaker, is very fluent in English, has a working knowledge of Dutch and Swedish and a basic knowledge of French.
Verónica has a scientific experience in various fields of technology including chemistry and life sciences, in particular organic chemistry, polymer chemistry, pharmaceutical chemistry, computational chemistry, cell biology, biochemistry and biotechnology.
Jacek Kepa obtained a Master's degree in Bioelectronics and Nanotechnology from the University of Hasselt, Belgium, and Maastricht University, the Netherlands.
Prior to joining De Clercq & Partners, Jacek performed experimental research at the Laboratory for Semiconductor Physics and as such, obtained a Ph.D. degree in Physics from the University of Leuven, Belgium, in collaboration with IMEC Leuven, Belgium.
He joined De Clercq & Partners in September 2015 and qualified as European Patent Attorney in 2019. In 2023, Jacek obtained the Diploma on Patent Litigation in Europe at the University of Maastricht. He has been registered as a representative before the Unified Patent Court (UPC).
Jacek is a native Dutch and Polish speaker, is very fluent in English and has a working knowledge of French and German.
Jacek has scientific experience in various fields related to semiconductor materials and devices – such as, photovoltaics, transistors (MOSFET), optoelectronics, medical devices and biosensors, magnetic and electronic characterization (of defects). His technical areas of expertise include physics, electronics and electrical engineering, computer-implemented inventions (software/ICT), mechanical engineering and manufacturing, and analytical instrumentation.
Sarah Thysen holds a Master degree and PhD in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Leuven, Belgium. She performed the research for her Master thesis during a 6-month stay at Tsinghua University, China (under supervision of Prof. J. Creemers and Prof. W. Wu) and for her PhD thesis at the Skeletal Biology and Engineering research center, University of Leuven, Belgium (under supervision of Prof. Dr. R. Lories and Prof. Dr. F. Luyten).
Prior to joining De Clercq & Partners, Sarah worked for one year as a scientific collaborator at the same research center and has succesfully obtained a Master in Intellectual Property Rights and ICT law, University of Leuven, Belgium. She joined De Clercq & Partners in October 2015 as a Patent Adviser. Sarah has completed trainings in European patent law and patent practice (CEIPI Antwerp) and Belgian patent law and patent practice (ie-net Antwerp). She qualified as European Patent Attorney in 2019 and as a Belgian Patent Attorney in 2021. In 2023, Sarah obtained the Diploma on Patent Litigation in Europe from at Politecnico Milano. She has been registered as a representative before the Unified Patent Court (UPC).
Sarah is a native Dutch speaker, is very fluent in English and has a working knowledge of French.
Sarah has scientific experience in various fields of life sciences, including biotechnology, biochemistry and molecular and cellular biology – in particular, recombinant gene techniques, genetically modified plants and animals, regenerative cell therapy, in vitro cell-based assays, signal transduction cascades, proteomics, biomarkers, diagnostics including nucleic acid- and protein-based diagnostic and screening assays.
Giel Vandemoortele obtained a Master degree in Biomedical Sciences, majoring in immunology and infection in 2013 at Ghent University, Belgium. His Master thesis was centered on characterizing protease substrate specificity and was conducted under supervision of Prof. Dr. Kris Gevaert (VIB-Ghent University). Subsequently, Giel obtained a PhD at the VIB Center for Medical Biotechnology under supervision of Prof. Dr. Sven Eyckerman and Prof. Dr. Kris Gevaert. Entitled ‘Towards a genome engineering toolbox for proteomics’, the aim of the thesis was to explore the opportunities recent advances in the genome engineering field (i.e. CRISPR/Cas9) entail for mass spectrometry analysis of proteins and protein-protein interactions at endogenous expression levels.
Giel joined De Clercq & Partners in 2019 and qualified for the EQE in 2022. He is now featured in the list of Qualified European Patent Attorneys.
Giel is a native Dutch speaker, is very fluent in English and has a working knowledge of French.
Giel obtained scientific experience in several life science fields such as molecular biology and biochemistry - especially in discovery proteomics, targeted proteomics, precise gene editing in mammalian cell lines using different techniques, proximity-labeling technologies, immunology and cell biology in general.
Evi holds a Bachelor’s degree in Avionics, a Master’s degree in Electro-Mechanical Engineering, and qualified as a European Patent Attorney in 2008. Eleven years later, she also qualified as a Belgian Patent Attorney. In 2023, Evi obtained the Diploma on Patent Litigation in Europe from at Politecnico Milano. She has been registered as a representative before the Unified Patent Court (UPC).
Since 2000, Evi built up eight years of experience at the IP Department of CNH Industrial as European Patent Attorney and three years as IP Counsel for the Niko Group. After that, she became co-founder and managing director at Ænigma, a company that mainly focuses on in-house IP counseling for companies with or without an IP department, but also offers advice and service custom tailored to the wishes of independent inventors.
Evi is a member of the ie-net Expert group on Intellectual Property and has given training on several IP related topics for patent attorney trainees and patent paralegals.
She was elected in 2021 as substitute member of the Disciplinary Commission of the Institute of Belgian Patent Attorneys.
She is a native Dutch speaker. She is also very fluent in English and has working knowledge of German, French and Italian.
Evi combines extensive experience both in in-house roles and in private practice, where she served clients ranging from high growth start-ups and innovative SMEs to market leading multinationals. She is mainly active in the technical fields of agricultural machinery, avionics, mechanical engineering, industrial manufacturing, automotive, automation, satellite communication, telecom, medical devices, battery technology, metal processing, software, robotics, ai, mechatronics.
Katty Josson holds a PhD in Molecular Biology from the University of Ghent, Belgium under Prof. Van Montagu and Prof. Zabeau and worked as a research scientist at Plant Genetics Systems (Bayer CropScience). She worked in the laboratory of Molecular Biology under Prof. W. Fiers and at the School of Medicine, Ghent State University, Laboratory of Endocrinology under Prof. Vermeulen. She also has several years of post-doctoral experience at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Cornell University, New York, USA. For more than six years, she was a senior scientist at the Biochemical Pharmacology Department of the Janssen Research Foundation (Janssen Pharmaceutica), Beerse, Belgium.
Katty joined De Clercq & Partners as Patent Adviser in 2001.
Her areas of practice include:
Katty is a native Dutch speaker, is fluent in English and French, and has a working knowledge of German.
Katty has a general scientific experience in various fields of technology including molecular biology, biotechnology, genetic engineering, genetics, cellular and molecular immunology, microbiology, cell biology, virology, bio-informatics, physiology, protein chemistry, biochemistry, high throughput screening, agricultural sciences, pharmacology, life sciences and animal behavior.
Filip Van Lysebetten studied at Ghent University and majored in Chemistry. He received his Master's degree in 2019 after successfully completing a thesis in the field of Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry. He continued his scientific career in Ghent with an FWO-funded PhD project, inspired by themes such as sustainability, polymer processing, and chemical reactivity. More specifically, he aimed to reprocess thermoset materials with applications in adhesives and composites under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Filip Du Prez and Prof. Dr. Johan Winne. This work resulted in several publications in prestigious journals as well as two patent applications.
Soon after defending his PhD in 2023, Filip joined De Clercq & Partners as a Patent Adviser.
Filip is a native Dutch speaker, is very fluent in English and has a working knowledge of French.
Filip has scientific experience in various fields of technology including chemistry, life sciences, material science and engineering with a particular focus on organic chemistry, polymer chemistry, small molecules, reactor engineering and pharmaceutical chemistry.
More specific topics include homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis, enzymes and biomimetics, cosmetics, adhesives and formulation chemistry for structural and medical applications, fiber-reinforced materials, petrochemistry, nanomaterials, analytical chemistry, packaging, recycling and green technologies, bio-based monomers and polymers, polymer processing, and food technology.
Anne-lore Bex obtained a Master’s Degree in Biomedical Science, with a major in clinical molecular science at The University of Hasselt and Maastricht. She went abroad for her Master’s degree to study epithelial-mesenchymal crosstalk in early esophageal tumourigenesis at the University of Cambridge. After graduating, she continued her scientific career in Cambridge, where she studied the behaviour of epithelial stem cells in the esophagus upon injury. Next, she challenged herself to study epithelial-immune cell cross-talk in pancreatic cancer at the Technical University of Munich.
Prior to joining De Clercq & Partners, Anne-lore started working in private practice in February 2020. In April 2023, she joined De Clercq & Partners as a Patent Adviser.
Anne-lore is a native Dutch speaker, is very fluent in English and has a working knowledge of German and French.
Anne-lore obtained scientific experience in several life science fields such as biotechnology, immunology and molecular and cellular biology - especially in cell lineage tracing, recombinant gene technology, precise gene editing tools, genetically modified animals, regenerative cell therapy, oncogenic therapy, signalling cascades, proteomics, biomarkers, mechanics, agricultural machinery, medical devices, biogas plants, organic waste systems, construction systems.
Nathalie holds a Bachelor degree in legal practice from the Vives University College in Bruges, Belgium. She started her career as a paralegal at De Clercq & Partners in 2015 and emerged as an ambitious trademark attorney candidate through inhouse practice and intensive self-study. In 2022, she started the two-year professional training course organised the Benelux Association for Trademark and Design Law and successfully passed the first-year exams in December 2022. Today, she works as an attorney trainee under the supervision and training of our experienced trademark attorneys.
Nathalie manages the IP portfolios of various Belgian and international clients and foreign associates. Her work includes advising on the distinctiveness and availability of trademarks, auditing of sometimes extensive trademark portfolios, advising about the maintenance of trademarks and designs, and evaluating watch notices and advising clients accordingly. She is also a member of the Benelux Association for Trademark & Design Law, VOKA (Flanders Chamber of Commerce and Industry) and AIPPI (International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property)
Nathalie is a native Dutch speaker and fluent in French and English.
Nathalie has experience in legal aspects of intellectual property, particularly trademarks and designs, and in product and service development in various areas of intellectual property.
Wiebeke graduated from Ghent University in 2017 with a Master's degree in Communication Studies. Wiebeke joined De Clercq & Partners in 2019 as a Trademark and Design Paralegal. After gaining two years of experience under the Trademark Attorneys' wings, she started the BBMM (Benelux Association for Trademark and Design Law Course) two-year training program in 2022. After the successful first-year exam, Wiebeke is now progressing further as a Trademark and Design Attorney Trainee. You will find Wiebeke in both Sint-Martens-Latem and Hasselt Offices.
Wiebeke manages trademark and design portfolios of several Belgian and foreign companies. Her work consists of communicating with clients and foreign associates, following up on deadlines, filing and renewing trademarks and designs before BOIP, EUIPO and WIPO. She is an active member of the Benelux Association for Trademark & Design Law (BMM) and VOKA (Flanders Chamber of Commerce and Industry).
Wiebeke is a native Dutch speaker. She is fluent in English and has working knowledge of French.
Wiebeke has experience in legal aspects of intellectual property, particularly trademarks and designs, and in product and service development in various areas of intellectual property.
Emily holds a Master’s degree in Globalization and Law at Maastricht University Faculty of Law since 2022. After gaining sector experience at the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) where she worked one year as a Pan-European Seal Trainee, she joined our firm in August 2023 as a Trademark & Design Attorney Trainee. You will find her mainly at our Hasselt Office.
Areas of practice
Emily manages trademark and design portfolios of several Belgian and foreign companies. Her work consists of communicating with clients and foreign associates, following up on deadlines, filing and renewing trademarks and designs before BOIP, EUIPO and WIPO, advising on the distinctiveness and availability of trademarks, auditing of sometimes extensive trademark portfolios, advising about the maintenance of trademarks and designs
Languages
Emily is a native Dutch speaker. She is fluent in English and has working knowledge of French.
Competences
Emily has experience in legal aspects of intellectual property, particularly trademarks and designs, and in product and service development in various areas of intellectual property.
Rani holds a Bachelor degree in International Business Management from the Artevelde University College in Ghent, Belgium. She started her professional career abroad as an entrepreneur in the beauty industry and at Google Ads as a Marketing Optimization Specialist. Today, she works as our marketing and communication manager and assits in management.
Rani has a deep understanding of managing various communication channels and organising practicalities.
Rani is a native Dutch speaker and fluent in Spanish and English. She has working knowledge in French.
Rani has experience as an all-round marketeer.
Prior to joining De Clercq & Partners in 2016, Marc worked for over 20 years in the industry of sports equipment where he gained a broad experience in the management of various Finance, Accounting and Logistics departments.
He is a native Dutch speaker and is also fluent in English and in Spanish.
Sint-Martens-Latem & Hasselt
Ben jij de geknipte person voor deze job? Stuur je CV en motivatie per e-mail naar Jarne Herman op jobs@dcp-ip.com
Sint-Martens-Latem & Hasselt
Are you the right person for this job? Send your CV and motivation by e-mail to Jarne Herman on jobs@dcp-ip.com
In view of its expansion, De Clercq & Partners is recruiting an energetic and highly skilled partly or fully qualified European Patent Attorney to join the team.
Location: Sint-Martens-Latem, Leuven or Hasselt
Please apply to Jarne Herman at jobs@dcp-ip.com or via +32 (0)9 280 23 40.
In view of its expansion, De Clercq & Partners is recruiting an energetic and highly skilled partly or fully qualified European Patent Attorney Chemistry to join our team.
Location: Sint-Martens-Latem, Leuven or Hasselt
Please apply to Jarne Herman at jobs@dcp-ip.com or via +32 (0)9 280 23 40.