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UPC Representative and European & Belgian Patent Attorney

Caroline Hennin (ir.,PhD) is a European and Belgian Patent Attorney and a registered UPC Representative at De Clercq & Partners with extensive experience in patent prosecution, opposition and appeal proceedings, litigation-related matters and strategic IP advisory work across life sciences, chemistry and engineering technologies. She advises innovative companies on the protection, enforcement and management of patent portfolios. 

Caroline holds a Master’s degree in Bio-engineering Sciences and a PhD in Applied Biological Sciences from Ghent University. Her doctoral research was conducted in collaboration with industry, giving her early exposure to applied research and commercial innovation. She joined De Clercq & Partners in 2001 and qualified as a European Patent Attorney in 2008 and as a Belgian Patent Attorney in 2019. Her professional background includes several years as Senior Patent Counsel and Head of the IP Department at a biotechnology company active in plant science, providing her with a strong in-house perspective. Caroline rejoined De Clercq & Partners in 2016 and advises clients throughout the full patent lifecycle. 

Caroline’s technical expertise spans a wide range of fields, including plant biotechnology, crop protection, agrochemicals and biologicals, molecular biology, food and feed technology, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, polymer chemistry, catalyst technology, and chemical and process engineering. In addition to her client work, Caroline is actively involved in the IP community and holds professional memberships within several IP organisations, including member of the international cooperation committee of the Belgian Institute and also a member of the Belgian Examination Board. Her work has been consistently recognised by leading international legal directories for its technical depth and strategic insight.