Dr. phil. nat. Ulrike Ciesla, Dipl. Chem., European Patent Attorney, UPC Representative
Dr. phil. nat. Ulrike Ciesla, Dipl. Chem., European Patent Attorney, UPC Representative

Dr. phil. nat. Ulrike Ciesla, Dipl. Chem., European Patent Attorney, UPC Representative

Partner, Zurich

Schiffbaustrasse 2 | P.O. Box | CH-8031 Zurich | Switzerland
Schiffbaustrasse 2 | P.O. Box | CH-8031 Zurich | Switzerland
T +41 58 552 02 90
ulrike.ciesla@mll-legal.com

Profile

Ulrike Ciesla is a member of MLL Legal’s IP team, which ranks among the leaders in intellectual property in Switzerland. In particular, she complements the patent litigation team with her expertise in technical matters and patent law.

Ulrike Ciesla studied chemistry at the University of Erlangen and the University of Mainz. After her doctoral thesis in the field of inorganic solid state chemistry and catalysis at the University of Frankfurt she was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and scholar of the German Research Foundation (DFG). She is co-author of several publications, including highly-cited papers in high impact journals such as Angewandte Chemie and Nature.

Ulrike Ciesla began her patent attorney career at Hoffmann Eitle, one of the largest patent law firms in Europe. In 2004 she qualified as a European Patent Attorney and German Patent Attorney and later became a partner at Hoffmann Eitle. During her almost 20 years with Hoffmann Eitle, Ulrike gained extensive experience and knowledge in patent prosecution and opposition-appeal proceedings before the German and European Patent Offices as well as in patent litigation proceedings before courts in Germany and Switzerland.

Before joining MLL Legal as partner, Ulrike Ciesla was already working with MLL Legal’s IP team on the Faslodex® litigation proceedings.



Practice Areas


Industry Groups


Rankings & Awards

IP Stars IP Star 2024Legal 500 EMEA Recommended Lawyer 2024Chambers Patent Litigation Global Practice Guide 2024 Switzerland Trends & DevelopmentsBest Lawyers Ulrike Ciesla 2024IP Stars IP Star 2023Legal 500 EMEA Recommended Lawyer 2023Chambers and Partners Global Practice Guides 2023 Patent LitigationChambers Patent Litigation Global Practice Guide 2021 Switzerland Trends & DevelopmentsLegal 500 EMEA Recommended Lawyer 2022Legal 500 Comparative Guide Contribution 2022Chambers Patent Litigation Global Practice Guide 2021 Switzerland Trends & DevelopmentsIAM Recommended Individual 2022 Urlike CieslaLegal 500 EMEA Recommended Lawyer 2021Legal 500 Patent Litigation Switzerland Country Comparative Guide 2021Legal 500 EMEA Recommended Lawyer 2020Legal 500 Patent Litigation Switzerland Country Comparative Guide 2020
  • “Ulrike Ciesla is a seasoned European patent attorney, warmly recommended for her extensive experience in opposition and appeal matters” – IAM Patent 1000, 2024
  • “Her impeccable skills and diligence in the courtroom have made her a trusted figure among leading pharmaceutical entities involved in patent litigation in Switzerland. Her unwavering dedication to each case is a testament to her commitment to her following” – IAM Patent 1000, 2024
  • “The team around Simon Holzer is one of the best to advise on patent matters in Switzerland, especially in the life sciences field. Ulrike Ciesla and Kilian Schärli are also outstanding. They are always great to work with in pan-European litigation projects” – Legal 500 EMEA, Healthcare and Life Sciences, 2024
  • “One of the firm’s strengths now is the addition of patent attorney Ciesla, which allows it to provide a full service to clients. Drawing on her time as a researcher at major research institutions, the chemist is a favourable option for pharmaceutical patrons” – IAM Patent 1000, 2023
  • “Ulrike Ciesla is incredibly sharp and quickly sees the strengths and weaknesses of an argument” – Legal 500 EMEA, Healthcare and Life Sciences, 2023
  • “Ulrike Cielsa is technically excellent and always on top of the detail” – Legal 500 EMEA, Healthcare and Life Sciences, 2022
  • “Ulrike Ciesla is a fantastic European patent attorney, with a very strong background in chemistry and an extremely clear mind” – Legal 500 EMEA, Intellectual Property, 2022
  • “Performs excellently in court and has an outstanding knowledge of EPO case law. She has a remarkable understanding of the technologies that she works with and is a very reliable team player” – IAM Patent 1000, 2022
  • Ulrike Ciesla is ranked as “Patent Star 2021” and “Top 250 Women in IP 2021” for Switzerland in the 2021/22 edition – IP STARS, MIP

Deals & Cases

  • Successfully represented Lipomed AG and Lipomed GmbH in patent opposition proceedings before the Board of Appeal of the European Patent Office and coordinating international patent litigation concerning the clients’ deferiprone business
  • Advised and represented AstraZeneca (Faslodex®) and other pharma companies against early market entries of generics before the European Patent Office as well as nullity proceedings and in infringement litigation proceedings in Germany and Switzerland
  • Represented chemical companies and cosmetic companies in opposition-appeal-proceedings before the European Patent Office
  • Advised pharma startups on patent portfolio and acquisition

Education & Admission

  • European Patent Attorney (since 2004)
  • German Patent Attorney (since 2004)
  • UC Santa Barbara, Postdoc (1997–1999)
  • University of Frankfurt, Dr. phil. nat., summa cum laude (1997)
  • University of Mainz, Dipl. Chem. (1994)

Memberships and public offices

  • The Institute of Professional Representatives before the European Patent Office (EPI)
  • German Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (GRUR)
  • Patentanwaltskammer (PAK)
  • Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker (GDCh)
  • Healthcare Business Women (HBA), Mentor
  • Women in IP

Languages

  • German
  • English

Assistant


Publications


News Portal


Firm News

Ulrike Ciesla is ranked as “Patent Star 2021” and “Top 250 Women in IP 2021” for Switzerland in the 2021/22 edition

IP STARS, MIP