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UPC Representative and European & Belgian Patent Attorney

David Lesthaeghe (ir., PhD) is a Junior Partner at De Clercq & Partners, European and Belgian Patent Attorney and a registered UPC Representative with broad experience in patent prosecution, opposition and appeal proceedings, litigation-related matters and strategic IP advisory work across engineering, physics and multidisciplinary technologies. He advises innovative companies on the protection and enforcement of complex patent portfolios . 

David holds a Master’s degree in Engineering Physics and a PhD in Engineering from Ghent University. His academic research was carried out at the Center for Molecular Modeling in collaboration with the Laboratory for Chemical Technology. Prior to joining De Clercq & Partners, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher, including a research stay at Université Lille 1 in France, giving him strong exposure to applied and interdisciplinary research environments. He joined De Clercq & Partners in 2010 and qualified as a European Patent Attorney in 2014 and as a Belgian Patent Attorney in 2017. David became a Junior Partner of the firm in 2025. David’s technical expertise spans a wide range of technologies, including mechanical and medical devices, machinery, automotive and electronic systems, photonics, materials science, polymer chemistry, catalysis, nanomaterials, computer-implemented inventions, software and artificial intelligence. He is regularly involved in freedom-to-operate analyses, IP due diligence, portfolio management and strategic decision-making for innovative companies and research-driven organisations. 

Alongside his client work, David is active in the IP community. He regularly lectures on intellectual property topics and holds professional mandates within IP organisations, including Effective member of the Disciplinary Committee, Chairman of the PR Committee and member of the Education Committee of the Institute of Belgian Patent attorneys. His work has been consistently recognised by international legal directories as that of a rising and highly regarded practitioner.