What Dehns does

Dehns is a London-headquartered intellectual property law firm founded in 1920, providing patent, trade mark, design, copyright, trade secret, consulting, and dispute resolution services to clients in the UK, Germany, and Norway. As of the most recent data the firm operates from eight offices with 275+ staff, including over 130 patent professionals and 30 dedicated biotechnology and life sciences specialists, and is one of the largest specialist IP practices in Europe. The firm's technology stack is that of a professional services firm rather than a software company: it relies on regulated attorney expertise, in-house developed analytics and investigation tooling that draws on global IP data sources, and a proprietary trade secret documentation platform that provides timestamping, secure storage, and portfolio visualisation. The consulting arm complements core prosecution and litigation with IP strategy, due diligence, valuation, and licensing advisory work.

Dehns monetises exclusively on a quote-based professional services fee model, billing patent drafting and prosecution, trade mark filing and renewals, design registration, EPO oppositions and appeals, UPC litigation, and IP consulting engagements tailored to individual client budgets. Revenue is generated through direct partner-led client relationships across a hybrid segment mix that includes in-house counsel of large multinationals, SMEs, startups, universities and research organisations, and international associate law firms instructing Dehns for European and UK matters. Distribution is multi-channel but direct: clients engage partners and attorneys at one of eight offices (London, Brighton, Oxford, Manchester, Discovery Park in Kent, Bristol, Munich, Oslo), supplemented by an international associate referral network. The 2021 merger with German firm KGP and acquisition of Norway's Leogriff marked the firm's transformation into the largest Anglo-German IP firm and a three-jurisdictional European platform. Brand and reputational capital are central: Dehns holds Band 1 in Chambers UK 2026, Tier 1 in The Legal 500 2026, and is consistently recognised as the highest-volume UK patent filer, with 5,225 patent applications filed in 2025 and 440+ live EPO opposions. The firm is privately held by its partnership, has no external institutional investors, and operates as a regulated IP practice under IPReg, the SRA, and the German Patentanwaltskammer.

Name

Dehns

Legal name

Dehns

Website

https://www.dehns.com/

Company type

Private

Founded year

1920

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Dehns is a UK-headquartered intellectual property law firm with 275+ staff across eight offices in the UK, Germany, and Norway, providing patent, trade mark, design, consulting, and dispute resolution services to multinational corporates, SMEs, startups, and universities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Intellectual Property Legal Services

NAICS

Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Patent Prosecution & Portfolio Management (BPAHAMAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Trademark Prosecution & Brand Protection (BPAHAMAB), Copyright Services & Content Protection (BPAHAMAC)

Keywords

• Intellectual property legal services
• Patent attorney services
• Trade mark prosecution
• IP consulting and strategy
• IP dispute resolution

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Patent Prosecution Services: Dehns provides patent drafting, filing, and prosecution services for clients across all major jurisdictions. This includes patent applications, oppositions, and appeals before the European Patent Office.
2. Trade Mark Services: Trade mark filing, prosecution, renewals, oppositions, and enforcement services for UK, EU, and international trade mark protection.
3. Design Protection: Registration and management of UK Registered Designs, EU Registered Designs, and advice on unregistered design rights.
4. IP Consulting Services: Strategic IP advice including portfolio reviews, valuations, due diligence, licensing, IP strategy, and analytics services.
5. Dispute Resolution and Litigation: Support and advice in potentially contentious situations including UPC litigation, EPO oppositions and appeals, and trade mark enforcement.
6. Patent Renewals: In-house specialized patent renewal and annuity department providing seamless service for maintaining patent portfolios.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Dehns is a partnership firm of UK, German, and Norwegian registered patent and trade mark attorneys providing intellectual property legal services across patents, trade marks, copyright, designs, trade secrets, IP consulting, and dispute resolution. Services span drafting, filing, prosecution, oppositions, appeals, litigation, renewals, due diligence, portfolio reviews, and IP strategy for corporations, SMEs, startups, universities, and individual inventors operating internationally.

Product overview

Dehns is an intellectual property law firm offering a comprehensive suite of IP legal services rather than a technology product company. The firm's core offerings include Patents, Trade Marks, Copyright, Designs, Trade Secrets, Consulting, and Dispute Resolution. These services are delivered through specialized practice groups covering distinct technical domains such as Chemistry/Pharmaceutical, Life Sciences/Biotechnology, Technology/Software/Engineering, Software/AI, Electronics/Communications, Physical Sciences/Materials, and Quantum Computing. The consulting arm provides analytics, due diligence, IP strategy, licensing, valuation, and educational workshops. The firm operates proprietary trade secret management infrastructure alongside traditional IP prosecution and litigation services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Patents Comprehensive patent services covering drafting, prosecution, oppositions, appeals, litigation, watching services, due diligence, assignments, licences, opinions, renewals, and portfolio audits, delivered by specialist groups in chemistry/pharmaceutical/chemical engineering, life sciences/biotechnology, technology/software/engineering (including software/AI, electronics/communications, physical sciences/materials, and quantum computing).
• Trade Marks Full trade mark protection services including searching, registration, oppositions, enforcement, renewals, filing and prosecution, cancellation and invalidity proceedings, monitoring and policing, audits, franchising support, overseas protection, company names, and domain name management across UK, EU, and international jurisdictions.
• Copyright Copyright protection and enforcement services covering literary, dramatic, musical, artistic works, sound recordings, broadcasts, and published editions, delivered alongside the firm's patent and trade mark practice.
• Designs Design protection services covering UK Registered Designs, UK Unregistered Designs, EU Registered Designs, and EU Unregistered Designs.
• Trade Secret Management Platform Bespoke platform that documents trade secrets with clear descriptions and metadata, provides timestamping, and maintains secure data storage. Includes annual reviews and portfolio visualization alongside other registered IP rights.
• Trade Secrets Trade secret advisory service including documentation, timestamping, secure storage via the proprietary Trade Secret Management platform, annual reviews, and strategy development aligned with the broader IP portfolio.
• IP Consulting IP consultancy services including analytics and investigation using in-house developed tools and global IP data sources, due diligence, investment and capital raising support, IP strategy development, licensing and collaboration agreements, portfolio review, valuation, and educational workshops.
• Dispute Resolution IP litigation and dispute resolution services including UPC (Unified Patent Court) proceedings, EPO oppositions and appeals, and trade mark enforcement. The team runs 440+ live EPO oppositions and has handled over 1,000 oppositions and appeals before the European Patent Office.
• Patent Renewals Specialist in-house patent renewal and annuity service providing seamless maintenance of patent portfolios across jurisdictions.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5,225 patent applications filed in 2025 - highest of any UK firm
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers22 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Kudlek Grunert & Partner (KGP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2021In April 2021, after more than 20 years of close association, Dehns formally merged with KGP, a German firm of patent and trade mark attorneys. The merger created the largest Anglo-German firm of patent and trade mark attorneys, expanding Dehns' German team and expertise.
• LeogriffcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021In January 2021, Dehns acquired Leogriff, one of Norway's leading IP Consultancies. This strengthened their Norwegian service offering with local knowledge of the Norwegian market.
• Kudlek Grunert & Partner (KGP) - Original Joint VenturecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Dehns Germany was established in 2013 as a joint venture between Dehns and KGP, with a view to expand services to clients especially in China and Japan. This joint venture was a precursor to the 2021 merger.
• Forskningsparken / Oslo Science ParkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDehns' Oslo office is located at Forskningsparken / Oslo Science Park. The firm regularly provides free IP clinics for incubators and organisations based at the Science Park.
• European Patent Office (EPO)coreOthersDehns has represented clients in over 1,000 oppositions and appeals before the EPO. Munich office has been near the EPO since 1979. Firm handles 440+ live opposition cases at the EPO.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Marks & Clerk: One of the largest global IP law firms with extensive UK and European patent/trade mark prosecution practices. Directly comparable to Dehns in scope (patents, trade marks, designs, litigation) and customer base (corporates, SMEs, universities), but with broader international footprint and significantly larger headcount.
• Mewburn Ellis: UK-headquartered IP law firm of similar vintage offering patent prosecution, trade marks, and IP dispute services. Closely comparable in service mix (patents, trade marks, designs, IP strategy), client segments (SMEs to multinationals), and partnership structure; competes head-to-head for UK patent mandates.
• J A Kemp: UK and European IP law firm with a comparable mix of patent, trade mark, and design services. Similar size and client mix, including universities and SMEs; competes directly for UK patent prosecution mandates.
• HGF (Harrison Goddard Foote): Major UK and European IP law firm with comparable patent prosecution, trade mark, and IP litigation offerings. Similar client base (corporates and research institutions) and similar size tier; one of the most direct competitors for UK and EPO patent work.
• Kilburn & Strode: London-based IP law firm offering patent, trade mark, and design services across Europe. Comparable in service scope and UK/European focus, with similar client mix of corporates, SMEs, and academic institutions.
• Withers & Rogers: UK IP law firm with patent, trade mark, and design services across multiple technology domains. Comparable in service scope, geographic concentration in the UK, and client segments; directly competes in UK and European patent prosecution.
• Carpmaels & Ransford: London-based IP law firm specializing in patent prosecution and IP litigation with strong life sciences and chemistry practices. Directly comparable to Dehns' biotech/pharma and chemistry groups, with overlapping client base of multinational corporates and universities.
• Mathys & Squire: Long-established UK IP law firm with a similar mix of patent prosecution, trade marks, designs, and IP litigation. Comparable size tier and customer profile; directly competes for UK and EPO patent mandates.
• Boult Wade Tennant: UK IP law firm offering patent, trade mark, and design services with similar European reach. Comparable in size and service mix; directly competes for mid-market and enterprise patent prosecution mandates.
• Abel & Imray: UK-headquartered IP law firm with patent and trade mark practices. Similar boutique-mid-size profile with comparable UK and EPO focus; competes for corporate and SME patent mandates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Dehns_IP
• Facebookfacebook.com/DehnsIP
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dehns_82302

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Dehns