David Lee

David is a European and Chartered (UK) patent attorney in the IT & engineering team and works with a range of clients in all areas of patent practice from drafting and prosecuting patent applications, to handling oppositions and appeals at the EPO. He also advises on infringement, validity and enforcement matters for UK and European patents.

Before entering the patent profession David also worked in the oil and gas industry and gained experience in welding engineering and the design, manufacturing and installation of subsea production systems.

David has a working proficiency in Mandarin Chinese and leads the China working group in the International Liaison Committee at the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA).

In his spare time, David enjoys gardening, a bit of DIY, and spending time with his family.

David works across a variety of industrial sectors, but has particular expertise in: 

• Oil and gas services and equipment 
• Fintech and payment network systems 
• Cloud services and database systems 
• Telecommunications 
• Memory and semiconductor devices 
• Electronic cigarettes 
• Lighting systems 
• Augmented and virtual reality devices 

David also provides advice on other IP matters including registered design protection in the UK and EU. 

European Patent Attorney
Chartered Patent Attorney
UPC Representative
Chartered Engineer

Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA)
Member of the European Patent Institute (EPI)
Member of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3) 

David has a broad technical background, having completed both a master’s degree and a doctorate in materials science at the University of Oxford. His master’s project examined the photovoltaic efficiencies of different polymer-based solar cell constructions, while his doctorate focused on the electrochemical behaviour of corrosion-protection coatings on aerospace alloys, funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) in collaboration with Airbus.

Before entering the patent profession David worked as a materials engineer in the oil and gas industry. David joined GJE in 2016 and qualified as a European patent attorney in 2022 and as a UK patent attorney in 2023.