Howes Percival has expanded its Intellectual Property (IP) team with the recruitment of its first ever Chartered Trade Mark Attorney, Sarah Dacre, who joins the firm from Blaser Mills LLP.
Working alongside Howes Percival’s IP lawyers, Sarah’s recruitment will broaden and deepen the firm’s IP services, allowing it to provide full-service advice for all brand related matters. Sarah can file trade marks worldwide but also conducts trade mark litigation through the Intellectual Property Office in the UK including oppositions, revocation actions. Very few law firm IP teams have such expertise.
Sarah has extensive experience both in-house and private practice and was previously Vice President Senior Trade Mark Counsel at Barclays Bank and Intellectual Property Officer at Walgreens Boots Alliance. Her experience covers all aspects of trade mark protection and enforcement including managing national and international trade mark portfolios and has experience across a wide range of sectors including: Automotive, Finance, Food and Beverage, Healthcare, Media and Creative Industries, Retail and Science and Technology.
Matthew Talbot, Howes Percival Partner and Head of Howes Percival’s IP team commented,
“As a firm, we are always on the lookout for exceptional talent and Sarah certainly fits into that bracket. Sarah is a hugely respected lawyer in her field, with a long and distinguished career history and I’m delighted to welcome her to the team. Our IP team has a National reputation and her experience will be a big asset to the firm and our clients.
“Over the past few years, we’ve seen an increase in trade mark filing and opposition work. Going forward, as well as continuing to file trade marks worldwide, we are expecting to develop a much wider practice. Intellectual property is one of an organisation’s most valuable assets and, for many, it is central to their commercial success. Howes Percival has an IP team that can support them every step of the way.”
Howes Percival’s IP team is ranked in the top tier by The Legal 500 - the authoritative guide to the UK’s leading law firms. The team handles an extensive caseload of litigation in the English High Court, the Intellectual Property and Enterprise Court and the European Courts, as well as the UK and European intellectual property offices.
The team is widely recognised for its expertise in advising clients in the food and drink sector. The firm acts for a huge range of producers and organisations from cider makers in Devon to cheese manufacturers in the Midlands; from clotted cream producers in Cornwall to brandy makers in Herefordshire. Much of the work is in relation to the EU protected food name scheme.
Recent work has also included advising a growing number of footwear brands including Start-Rite and Shoe Zone and working for clothing brand JustHype. The team also has extensive experience in media and defamation law and protecting the rights of individuals and companies generally.
Howes Percival is also the sole legal representative in the UK of the Business Software Alliance (BSA). Headquartered in Washington, DC, with operations in more than 30 countries, the BSA is the voice of the software industry. BSA members include Microsoft, Autodesk, Siemens and Adobe. As part of its function, the BSA works with a law firm in each territory to help police software licencing. BSA run campaigns to find organisations that are using illegal software or are under-licenced. At any time, Howes Percival are working on 100 to 150 BSA cases.
For more information on Howes Percival’s IP and IT services, click here.
