Industry moves and mergers

Robert J Hollingshead has joined Greenberg Traurig as a shareholder and chair of the Japan IP practice. He will help to grow the firm’s IP presence in Japan and will be spending time in the Washington DC office as well as Tokyo.

Keystone Law has recruited 12 new lawyers, including Simon Chalkley, who has been appointed to the IP division. Chalkley is an IP and commercial partner with over 30 years of experience. He counsels clients on their brands and IP strategy, and is well versed in transactions and IP contract disputes.

Zayd Alathari has been appointed to partner at Mohammed Al-Ghamdi Law Firm, which acts in association with Norton Rose Fulbright. Alathari is an IP lawyer with experience working in the Middle East and the United States. He was previously senior manager and IP counsel in the Middle East and Africa at Saudi Basic Industries Corporation.

After almost two decades at the outfit, Paul Maeyaert has left Altius to co-found a new IP boutique – Fencer – with Jeroen Muyldermans. The firm offers a range of legal services in the IP, media and advertising, and distribution spheres, as well as related areas of law. Joining Maeyaert and Muyldermans are associates Andreas Reygaert and Caro Van Wichelen.

Renee M Reuter has joined Armstrong Teasdale’s IP practice group in St Louis as senior counsel. Reuter advises clients on trademark, copyright and domain name matters, helping with the selection of new marks as well as developing registration, renewal and enforcement strategies. Reuter has extensive corporate experience, having served as the first in-house IP attorney at Enterprise Holdings.

SIPS has announced the promotion of Joshua Miller – who has been based in the firm’s Shanghai office since 2014 – to partner. Miller began his career assisting multinationals in protecting their IP rights in China in 2005 and has extensive experience in both the enforcement and prosecution of trademarks, as well as advising on other types of IP rights.

Calum Smyth has left Barclays Bank to join Wiggin as an IP litigation partner. In his former role, he led the global IP team and advised management on all aspects relating to intellectual property.

Christopher Renk, Michael Harris and Helen Minsker have left Banner Witcoff to join Arnold & Porter’s Chicago office. Renk is a first-chair trial lawyer whose practice focuses on litigating patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret, false advertising and unfair competition cases. Harris is an experienced litigator who has handled numerous patent, design patent, trademark, trade dress, copyright, trade secret and unfair competition lawsuits. Meanwhile, Minsker specialises in trademark, unfair competition and copyright law.

Dedar Singh Gill, an Indian judicial commissioner and IP maven, has been sworn in as a Singapore High Court judge. Justice Gill first joined the Supreme Court bench in August 2018 as judicial commissioner after a career in the IP department at Drew and Napier.

Squire Patton Boggs has confirmed the addition of partner Catherine Muyl and associate Marion Cavalier, both formerly of Foley Hoag, to its Paris office. With 30 years’ experience in IP law, Muyl’s practice focuses on litigation relating to patents, trademarks, copyrights, related rights, registered designs and software. Cavalier handles patent, trademark and commercial litigation before the French courts and arbitration tribunals. She is also a certified information privacy professional.

Rothwell Figg has announced that Jennifer B Maisel will be promoted to partnership effective 1 October 2020. Maisel’s practice covers all areas of IP law, including litigation, prosecution, transactions, opinions and counselling.

Karsten Brandt has joined Lutz Abel as a partner in the Munich office. Brandt is an IP specialist with a focus on patent litigation and is experienced in both trademark and copyright law.

Clyde & Co has appointed Chris Williams to partner in its London IP team. Williams focuses his practice on trademark infringement actions and design, as well as confidentiality and copyright disputes. He joins the firm from Blake Morgan.

Haynes and Boone has added IP veteran Joseph Matal to its Washington DC team. Matal is the former acting director of the USPTO and one of the principal drafters of the America Invents Act.

Marks & Clerk Canada has announced the hire of Jonathan Colombo, Catherine Lovrics and Amrita V Singh, all former senior members of Bereskin & Parr.

Jerry C Harris Jr has joined Barnes & Thornburg as a partner within the firm’s IP department. Harris’ practice spans the gamut of IP law, including trademark law.