Álvaro de Castro

Independent lawyer (Abogado) and Patent&Trademark Attorney (Agente de la Propiedad Industrial) in charge of a solo-practitioner lawfirm, DE CASTRO IP · LEGAL (DE CASTRO™), fully devoted to the advice, negotiation and litigation on intellectual property matters. His professional experience includes two decades of uninterrupted experience in the resolution (via court proceedings and/or out-of-court settlements) of disputes relating to, mainly and inter alia, European Patents in all technical fields (though predominantly in the life sciences sector, as well as mechanical patents) within some of the most reputable patent litigation teams in Spain: • Sep 2010 – Aug 2021: as an entry lawyer, junior associate, associate, and senior associate at the Madrid office of the Spanish law firm Gómez-Acebo and Pombo, where he had the opportunity to participate in cases defending the interests of a wide variety of parties, either locals or foreigners, either large companies, multinationals, public entities, SMEs or even individual inventors, and in all type of roles including patentees, licensees, alleged infringers, claimants for patent revocation, or for breach of contract. Some of these cases were local conflicts, but many of them were relevant multi-jurisdictional international disputes. • Sep 2021 – Apr 2024: as a Counsel at the Madrid office of the Spanish law firm Pérez-Llorca, where he had a substantial involvement in some of the most significant patent litigation cases taking place before the Spanish courts (which again, were mostly disputes with an international component). • Apr 2024 – present: as a freelance lawyer, enabling him to take on patent cases with a much more independent and impartial stance, free from the conflicts of interest, business interests, and sectorial alignments that unavoidably typically affect larger firms. In the patent cases (and IP cases in general) where he has played a substantial role, there were at least as many cases that ended up in an out-of-court settlement that satisfied both parties, as there were cases terminated by court resolution. And even among those that ended in court resolution, in the vast majority of them, damages and legal costs were entirely settled by a voluntary agreement, to the satisfaction of both parties. He has been individually acknowledged for many years in the main legal directories and rankings such as: • IP Stars: listed as "Rising Star" (2018-2024) and "Notable Practitioner" (since 2025) in Spain. • Best Lawyers: Listed in The Best Lawyers in Spain™" for Intellectual Property Law (since 2019) and for Biotechnology and Life Sciences Practice (since 2025). • Who's Who Legal / Lexology: listed as "Recommended" ("leaders in their field") for Life Sciences - Patent Litigation in Spain (since 2022). • LEGAL 500: listed as "Rising Star" (2017-2024) for Intellectual Property: Patents in Spain. • Leaders League: listed as "Highly Recommended" in Spain - Best Law Firms for Life Sciences (2023-2024). He is a member to the following associations: • European Patent Lawyers Association (EPLAW) • International Trademark Association (INTA) • Licensing Executive Society (LES) • Madrid Bar Association (ICAM) • Official Association of Spanish IP Agents (COAPI)