Following a somewhat uneven 2014, Olswang has hired an intellectual property partner duo from US firm Winston & Strawn in a bid to boost its City IP offering, while its corporate head Carpanini steps down after eight years.
Richard Price will join the TMT firm as head of IP arbitration, while Gareth Morgan joins as a partner in the IP practice. Price has experience of patent and trade mark litigation and arbitration, and will enhance the firm’s IP disputes offering, while patent litigator Morgan has experience of advising on pharma-regulatory issues. The duo bring with them two associates.
The team is known to have advised clients in the life sciences sector including Teva, Abbott Laboratories, AbbVie, Focus Pharmaceuticals, Actavis, InterMune and Healing Herbs.
Both Price and Morgan joined Winston & Strawn in 2011 from Taylor Wessing and DLA Piper respectively, and were hired by the US firm to spearhead the launch of its IP practice.
Olswang acting-chief exec and IP partner Michael Burdon said: ‘We are pleased to welcome the team to Olswang’s growing IP practice. I have known Gareth and Richard for many years, and their team’s outstanding track record in patent, trade mark and passing off litigation and stellar reputation in the life sciences sector further strengthen the firm’s unique IP and trade mark practice and sector focus.’
In addition, the firm has appointed its senior corporate TMT Partner Mark Bertram as its new head of corporate. Bertram has 25 years’ experience advising a range of international corporate clients in the media, communications and technology sectors, on mergers and acquisitions, capital sourcing and structuring, and exit strategies. He is the relationship partner for digital marketing communications group Dentsu Aegis Network, and recently advised Olswang Key Client Tesco on the disposals of Tesco Broadband and Blinkbox Entertainment and Music.
Bertram has been at Olswang since 2007 and a member of the firm’s board since April 2013. He succeeds corporate and private equity partner Fabrizio Carpanini, who after eight years as group head decided to step down from the role to continue to focus on his client work. He will remain on the firm’s executive committee.
Burdon added: ‘Mark’s extensive expertise working with international technology, media and telecoms clients means he will be a tremendous asset to meet the increasing demand for advice on major cross-border TMT transactions.’
jaishree.kalia@legalease.co.uk
