Joel Barry

Joel Barry is a Director and Solicitor Advocate at Carlton Elleker Chase, a full-service, multi-sector law firm in the City of London. An intellectual property specialist best known for his trade mark practice, Barry leads a team that has been named Intellectual Property Law Firm of the Year in England at the Corporate INTL Global Awards 2026.

A global leader in trade marks

Barry qualified as a solicitor in 1996 and has built a career as an all-round litigator with a particular focus on intellectual property. According to the firm, he heads one of the largest IP practices in the United Kingdom and is recognised internationally as a global leader in trade marks. A distinctive feature of his practice is the combination of trade mark prosecution and trade mark litigation within a single, integrated team, allowing clients to move seamlessly from securing rights to enforcing them. The firm cites WTR1000's description of him as "one of the market's big dogs," praised as "extremely sound, a fantastic portfolio manager" with "a great strategic mind."

His contentious experience spans the UK courts, proceedings throughout Europe, matters before the Appointed Person, and litigation before the General Court of the European Union on trade mark issues. This depth of advocacy, held by a solicitor advocate able to conduct his own courtroom work, gives clients continuity of representation from strategy through to hearing.

Practice across brands, media and entertainment

Barry is best known for his trade mark practice in the media and entertainment sectors. His broader work encompasses trade mark prosecution and litigation, commercial matters, fashion disputes, art disputes and deals, partnership disputes, film and television disputes, music disputes, contractual disputes, advertising clearance, and brand launches. That range reflects the reality of modern brand protection, where trade mark strategy intersects with copyright, design, advertising regulation and commercial contracting. For rights holders launching or defending a brand, coordinated advice across these areas helps avoid costly missteps and positions the brand for growth.

Why integrated IP advice matters

Trade marks are among the most valuable assets a business owns, yet they require active management: clearance before launch, careful prosecution to secure registrations in the right classes and territories, watching to detect infringement, and decisive enforcement when necessary. By housing prosecution and litigation together, Barry's team can build portfolios with enforcement in mind and litigate with a full understanding of the underlying rights. This is especially important in creative industries, where the pace of product launches and the international reach of media brands demand fast, commercially aware counsel.

Carlton Elleker Chase

Carlton Elleker Chase positions itself as a full-service, multi-sector law firm offering a commercial approach to legal services for clients ranging from start-ups to publicly listed companies. The firm highlights lawyers with in-house experience or entrepreneurial backgrounds and strengths in the technology and media arenas, as well as in high-stakes disputes and commercial matters. Its practice areas include corporate and commercial work, dispute resolution, financial services advice, and intellectual property counselling. Based in the City of London, the firm is regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

Corporate INTL Global Awards 2026

The recognition of Carlton Elleker Chase as Intellectual Property Law Firm of the Year in England — Corporate INTL Global Awards 2026 underscores the firm's standing in UK intellectual property law and Joel Barry's leadership of its trade mark practice. Corporate INTL's awards identify advisers who consistently demonstrate excellence within their jurisdiction and field. For businesses seeking to protect, build and defend valuable brands in England and across Europe, Joel Barry and Carlton Elleker Chase offer a rare combination of strategic portfolio management and battle-tested litigation capability.