Sean Leach - Mathys & Squire LLP

Sean is an expert in the drafting of intellectual property (IP) agreements, IP licences and in the drafting and prosecution of European and UK patent applications. His principal areas of technical expertise are electronics, medical devices, and software. He qualified as a Chartered patent attorney in 2010 and a European patent attorney in 2011. Recognised by The Legal 500 for his knowledge of patent portfolio management and advice, Sean is commended by one source for being “technically brilliant” and that “even R&D folks, who are PhDs in their specialist areas, have commended his grasp of new technologies” (2020 edition). Sean has also been recognised in the latest inaugural IAM Strategy 300 Global Leaders list for being a “superb patent attorney” and for his “outstanding communication skills.”

Expertise

In addition to patent drafting and IP strategy, Sean also advises on negotiation of IP licences and IP agreements, and has successfully represented SME clients in licence negotiations with Tier 1 automotive manufacturers and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs).

Sean specialises in drafting patent applications tailored to address the sensitivities of US litigation and the restrictions of European Patent Office (EPO) prosecution whilst also dealing with the exclusions from patentability of computer programs, mathematical methods, methods of diagnosis, and methods of treatment by surgery and therapy. In addition, his practice also includes: prosecution; advice on infringement and validity; and EPO oral proceedings relating to examination, oppositions and appeals.

Sean’s technical expertise includes electronics; medical devices; signal processing; network communications; computer implemented inventions. As well as, analytical and metrological devices including spectrometry, interferometry, and surface contact metrology.

Academic

Sean holds a master’s degree and a PhD in physics, both from the University of Nottingham. His doctorate related to MRI of the human brain and included work relating to RF and gradient sequences, passive and dynamic shimming, signal sampling schemes, and associated advanced digital signal processing (ICA/PCA, multivariate statistics, recursive time series analysis, and wavelet methods). This work also involved procedural and object oriented programming for data analysis and for data acquisition and control.

Sectors

IT & software

Medical devices

AI & machine learning

Manufacturing, engineering & automotive

Semiconductors

Universities

Awards

“Sean Leach is technically and legally competent, approachable and responsive.”

The Legal 500 (2025)

“Sean Leach is a big picture thinker who effectively finds and maximises the commercial value for clients in the hard technology sector. He pairs immense technical knowledge with an understanding of his clients’ commercial goals to deliver top-tier strategic advice.”

The IAM Strategy 300 Global Leaders (2024)

“Sean Leach is a superb patent attorney who stays current with technological advancements and has a broad but in-depth understanding of the field. He has outstanding communication skills, and his customer focus is second to none.”

The IAM Strategy 300 Global Leaders (2023)

“Sean Leach is technically brilliant and even R&D folks, who are PhDs in their specialist areas, have commended his grasp of new technologies.”

The Legal 500

“I’ve worked with Mathys & Squire for the last 15 years. They mostly deal with our patent work and some design registration. I’m impressed with the way they deal with all our patent office issues. On a personal level, they are easy to work with and, when we write new patents, they make the process straightforward and painless.”

BorgWarner

“Mathys & Squire have been with us since we began our transition from industrial markets into the automotive sector. In the years that we have worked with Mathys & Squire Sean Leach, and his associate Andrew White, have struck up a relationship with our technical team, and we know they can be relied upon for both their legal knowledge, and their technical expertise.”

Sevcon

“We are a small business without in-house IP function. Mathys & Squire have helped us protect our IP and to define our IP in deals with customers. This support has been critical in allowing our business to scale. It has freed our people to focus on their own roles. Licensing our IP has enabled us to scale without making the capital outlay for manufacturing equipment. Sean and the team have helped us to negotiate an IP licence which we estimate will generate income of several millions of Euro per year. Sean and Andrew stand out for their proactive approach […] they understand our business strategy beyond IP and help us to make the best use of our resources.”

Stephen Irish, Managing Director – Commercial, Hyperdrive Innovation Limited

Latest articles by Sean Leach

Mathys & Squire’s German team have moved office in Munich

Mathys & Squire Partners have featured in IAM Strategy 300 Global Leaders 2025

Mathys & Squire teams recommended in The Legal 500 2025 directory for their “unparalleled knowledge and experience in all areas of intellectual property”

Mathys & Squire Partners have earned recognition in IAM Strategy 300 Global Leaders 2024