Industry moves and mergers

Mewburn Ellis has welcomed former UK Chartered Institute of Trademark Attorneys President Kate O’Rourke as its new head of European trademark services. O’Rourke previously served as senior counsel at Charles Russell Speechlys and has been centrally involved in negotiations with the UK government on the implications of Brexit on trademarks and designs. She joined the firm’s London office on 1 April 2019.

North Carolina’s Forrest Firm has announced the appointment of Heather Benjamin to of counsel. Benjamin has a varied practice, handling transactional matters, intellectual property, contract negotiations and employment law.

Stubbs Alderton & Markiles has announced that Heather Antoine has joined the firm as a partner. Based in the Sherman Oaks office, Antoine – whose practice spans trademark clearance and selection, domestic and foreign trademark prosecution and enforcement, and proceedings before the TTAB – joins to lead the firm’s trademark practice.

Pawel Lipski has been appointed as a partner at Bird & Bird, in a move that expands the firm’s IP practice in Warsaw. Lipski has 13 years of experience advising on IP matters and issues surrounding new technologies, as well as matters relating to internet, data protection, consumer, advertising and contract law.

Dentons has announced the appointment of Robert M Wasnofski Jr to partner at its New York office. Wasnofski – whose practice focuses on trademark, unfair competition, false advertising and copyright litigation – boasts over 20 years of experience resolving IP disputes for clients across many industries, including luxury brands, apparel, financial services, telecoms, entertainment and toys.

International IP firm EIP has announced the appointment of Nora Fowler to the position of associate at the firm’s London office. Fowler has experience working across the full spectrum of the trademark lifecycle and has managed portfolios and advised on risks for clients in sectors including fashion and sport.

Experienced commercial and IP litigator Christina Baugh has joined the litigation department at Barnes & Thornburg. Based in the firm’s Atlanta office as a partner, Baugh advises clients on a variety of business disputes, including tort claims, insurance coverage matters and litigation spanning officer liability, shareholder, non-competition and property cases. She is admitted to the USPTO, handles trademark, copyright and patent matters, and currently serves as president-elect of the Georgia Association for Women Lawyers.

US full-service firm FisherBroyles has recruited three new partners to its IP group: Thomas Osborne, Richard Eckman and Jeremy Sanders. Osborne joins the firm’s Denver office, while Eckman takes up position at its Palo Alto outpost and Sanders is based in Seattle.

John Benjamin has joined Duane Morris as a partner at the firm’s IP practice group, based in the London office. Joining from DWF, where he led the firm’s data protection and cybersecurity practice, Benjamin focuses his practice on IP, technology and privacy law, dealing with both transactional matters and litigation. He has extensive experience in data protection and freedom of information matters, including the EU General Data Protection Regulation and the use of Big Data.

Burr Forman McNair has announced the appointment of William (Corky) Klett to partner in the IP practice. Klett focuses on IP litigation, representing clients in both patent and trademark matters.

Fish & Richardson has officially opened its representative office in Shenzhen, China. The move follows approval of the firm’s application from the Chinese Ministry of Justice in November 2018. Fish principal Ryan McCarthy serves as the firm’s chief representative in Shenzhen, where he is joined by Yong (Eric) Peng, who is fluent in Mandarin and English.

Chicago general practice firm Latimer LeVay Fyock has announced that John L Ambrogi and Colin TJ O’Brien have joined as partners to establish the firm’s IP practice group. O’Brien, who joins from Partridge Partners, is experienced in trademark, copyright, domain name and internet law matters, having acted in numerous UDRP and Uniform Rapid Suspension disputes and having overseen several trademark transactions.

DLA Piper has bolstered its IP teams in New York and Washington. Michael Furrow and Brian O’Reilly have joined the firm’s IP and technology practice as partners in New York, while Edward J McAndrew will divide his time between the Wilmington and Washington DC offices. McAndrew is a counsellor and trial lawyer whose practice focuses on cybersecurity matters, helping clients to manage cyber risk, comply with legal requirements and industry standards, prepare for and respond to cyber incidents and handle related investigations and litigation.