Harry Westhead

Harry is a dual-qualified UK and European Patent Attorney in our Engineering practice group. He is experienced dealing with all stages of the patent application process including original drafting and prosecution.

Harry works with a variety of different clients from universities, start-ups and SMEs to multinational companies. He enjoys working directly with inventors and in-house counsel, providing commercially grounded advice. Harry also works with foreign attorneys, primarily in the USA and Japan, which informs his approach to drafting to develop robust international portfolios for his clients.

Technical Expertise

• Optics & photonics: optical measurement devices, spectroscopy, photonic integrated circuits, laser design, semiconductor fabrication
• Energy & nuclear: fusion-enabling technologies, fission reactors, back-up safety systems
• Medtech: surgical devices, wearables devices, medical imaging
• Mechanical systems
• Consumer products: aerosol-generating devices, cleaning devices
• Computer-implemented methods: cryptography, digital health

Harry has a strong interest in technologies originating in physics-based research but has a broad technical skillset as a patent attorney encompassing mechanical devices and computer-implemented methods.

Academic and Commercial Background

Harry has a first class MPhys degree (2020) from the University of Bath. His final year research focused on designing and building a system for performing time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy.

During his degree, Harry spent a year working for an international energy company on professional placement at a nuclear power station (2017). His role as a nuclear safety engineer involved modelling reactor core and boiler operating parameters for optimising safe power generation, as well as developing safety cases for operation and maintenance of plant systems. Alongside building a real-world engineering knowledgebase, his experience in the energy sector provided Harry with a commercial insight that is invaluable for a patent attorney.

Harry joined Mewburn Ellis LLP in 2020 and trained under multiple partners across the firm before settling in London. He has a Postgraduate Certificate in Intellectual Property from Queen Mary University and qualified as a European Patent Attorney in 2024 and as a UK Chartered Patent Attorney in 2026.