What Three New Square does

Three New Square is a specialist barristers' chambers located at Lincoln's Inn, London, practising exclusively in intellectual property law and adjacent fields. Founded in the 1950s and active for over seventy years, the chambers comprises 22 self-employed tenants, of whom seven practise as King's Counsel. The chambers is regulated by the Bar Standards Board and is consistently ranked Tier 1 in Intellectual Property by Legal 500 and Band 1 by Chambers & Partners, with multiple 'IP Set of the Year' awards (Managing IP 2018 and 2024; Chambers & Partners 2024; Legal 500 2018 and 2022).

The service offering covers patents (including scientifically complex and FRAND/SEP matters), registered trade marks and passing off, copyright, registered and unregistered designs, confidential information and trade secrets, information technology and computer contracts, media and entertainment law, arbitration and mediation, plant breeders' rights, performing rights, semiconductor topography rights and competition law. Members have appeared in landmark UK Supreme Court matters including Eli Lilly v Actavis (2017) and Skykick v Sky, and twelve tenants have contributed to Terrell on the Law of Patents, the leading UK patent practitioner text (Guy Burkill KC is co-editor). Governance is provided by joint Heads of Chambers Denise McFarland and Andrew Waugh KC; the clerking team, led by Senior Clerk Nicholas Hill, routes all instructions.

The business model is professional services fee-for-service. As English barristers, members cannot accept direct client instructions; work flows exclusively through the clerking team from solicitors' firms, in-house counsel and overseas lawyers (the latter explicitly included in the 2014 standard terms update). Clients include major multinationals in pharmaceuticals (Teva, Gilead, AstraZeneca, GSK), telecoms and technology (Qualcomm, Nokia, HTC, Samsung, Apple), consumer goods (Unilever, Nike, Nestle, Warner Bros., Disney) and engineering/automotive (Dyson, Hoover). No public pricing is disclosed, no technology product is offered, and revenue is not reported.

Name

Three New Square

Legal name

Three New Square

Website

https://3newsquare.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Specialist intellectual property barristers' chambers at Lincoln's Inn, London, with 22 tenants including 7 King's Counsel, serving multinational corporations and law firms across patents, trade marks, copyright, designs and related disputes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Professional Legal Services: Barristers' chambers providing specialist IP legal representation and advocacy services. Revenue generated through professional fees for legal services rendered to clients including law firms, corporations, and government entities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Three New Square is a specialist barristers' chambers providing advocacy and advisory services in intellectual property law. The chambers focuses on patents, trademarks, passing off, copyright, designs, confidential information, trade secrets, and IT-related disputes. It operates as a traditional London-based set of chambers at Lincoln's Inn, serving solicitors and corporate clients across the UK and internationally.

Product overview

Three New Square is a set of barristers' chambers specializing in intellectual property law, established for over seventy years. The chambers comprises twenty-two tenants, seven of whom practise as King's Counsel. The core legal services include patents, registered trade marks, passing off, copyright, registered designs, design rights, confidential information and trade secrets. Additional specialist services cover information technology, computer contracts, media and entertainment law, scientifically complex litigation, arbitration, franchising, plant breeders' rights, performing rights, and related areas of European and UK competition law. The chambers offers Alternative Dispute Resolution services including arbitration, mediation, and early neutral evaluations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• IP Advocacy and Litigation Services Barrister-led advocacy before courts and tribunals in patent, trademark, copyright, design, and IT disputes, provided to instructing solicitors and corporate clients.
• Patent Law Advisory and Litigation Specialist advice and representation in patent disputes, including infringement, validity, and revocation proceedings before the Patents Court and appellate courts.
• Trademark and Passing Off Services Advocacy and advice on trademark infringement, registration disputes, and passing off claims, including EU and UK trade mark matters.
• Copyright, Designs and Confidential Information Advisory and litigation services covering copyright infringement, design right disputes, breaches of confidence, and trade secrets.
• IT Law and Technology Disputes Barrister representation in IT-related disputes, including software, telecommunications, and technology sector litigation and advisory matters.

Quantifiable outcome

• Chambers consistently ranked Tier 1 in Legal 500 and Band 1 in Chambers & Partners for IP
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• One Essex Court: Leading commercial barristers' chambers with a substantial IP and technology dispute practice. Frequently appears as co-counsel or opposing set in major IP litigation and competes for the same premium solicitor instructions.
• Maitland Chambers: Chancery and commercial barristers' chambers with strong IP and technology overlap. Comparable size and KC density, regularly instructed alongside or against Three New Square in IP and media matters.
• Powell Gilbert: Specialist IP law firm (solicitor-side) with deep patent litigation capability, including life sciences and technology. Often instructed as solicitor partner to barristers at Three New Square, and a competing service provider in IP dispute work.
• 11 South Square: Specialist barristers' chambers focused on intellectual property, technology, and commercial disputes. Comparable in size and specialisation, regularly instructed in major patent and IP litigation against Three New Square.
• Brick Court Chambers: Top-tier London barristers' chambers with a significant IP, competition and commercial litigation practice. Comparable in KC depth, directory ranking and the type of high-value, technically complex matters the chambers handles.
• Hogarth Chambers: London barristers' chambers specialising in intellectual property law. Smaller specialist IP set competing in the same instruction pool, particularly for soft IP and trademark matters.
• 8 New Square: Leading Lincoln's Inn-based barristers' chambers specialising in intellectual property and related commercial disputes. Direct head-to-head competitor in UK IP advocacy with similar KC-heavy bench and Tier 1 directory rankings.

Broad incumbents

• Marks & Clerk: Largest global IP firm combining patent attorney and IP solicitor services. Overlaps with Three New Square on IP prosecution, patent litigation and portfolio strategy but offers a broader IP service mix including attorney representation.
• Allen & Overy (now A&O Shearman): Magic Circle / global elite law firm with substantial IP litigation capability. Hires leading IP barristers (e.g., recruiting Tim Austen from Three New Square) and competes for the same multinational IP litigation mandates with global reach.
• Bird & Bird: International law firm with one of the largest dedicated IP practices globally. Regularly engages Three New Square barristers as counsel and competes for the same high-value IP mandates with a multi-jurisdictional platform.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/3NewSquare
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/three-new-square-ip

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Three New Square