Consultant

• Dec 2019 - Present

Consultant

• Apr 2011 - Present

I provide consultancy services to clients and now have consultancies with Anderson Law LLP and James Love Legal Ltd. I offer IP litigation, dispute resolution, strategy and counselling.I also deliver judgments in domain name disputes for WIPO and offer mediation services, helping to keep clients out of court and acting as a mediator for others.

Mediator

• Jun 2004 - Present

Trained through the International Trade Mark Association and offering services as a mediator through INTA's Trademark Mediator's Network, WIPO and privately and representing clients at mediations.

WIPO Domain Name Panelist and Mediator

• 2004 - Dec 2022

Panellist judging domain name disputes and offering mediation services through WIPO. Panellist judging domain name disputes and offering mediation services through WIPO.

Chairman

• Sep 2006 - Sep 2015

The IP Law Society's Intellectual Property Law Committee works closely with the profession, business, Government and Europe and represents the interests of IP solicitors. As its first female chair, my achievements have included: • Working with members of the IPLC to turn the body into an effective instrument of policy development and stakeholder management, adding able new members to give fresh perspective and capacity. • Lobbying Ministers, legislators (MPs, Lords), statutory bodies (including the Law Commission) and the Prime Minister’s trade representative and the Minister for IP on a range of commercial issues. • Co-ordinating the group’s activities with the Law Society’s representation to the European Union, jointly lobbying the EU Commission and MEPs on commercial legal issues. • Building partnerships with rival UK professional bodies to co-ordinate, rather than duplicate, our efforts, agreeing each would lead on a specialist area. • Managing the Law Society’s interaction with the UK Government’s Gowers’ and Hargreaves' Reviews of Intellectual Property, with proactive involvement in subsequent developments. • Providing a broad business perspective on a major European Commission review of trademarks. Show less

Marketing and Business Development Partner (IP), CMS Europe

• 2008 - 2011

I was brought in to provide greater focus and professionalism to this vital business growth function. This included:• Introducing an experienced marketing professional for the Commercial and Technology Department which included IP and the TMT Sector Group .• Creating a centralised business development and marketing team from individuals scattered across the business, building a greater knowledge of the firm’s total offer, USPs and strengths.

Senior Partner IP and Chairman of the award winningTechnology Media and Telecoms Sector Group

• 2006 - 2011

Appointed as the Senior Partner for IP, my business skills were quickly recognised and I rapidly assumed a number of leadership roles for the firm. These included:• Chairman of the Technology, Media and Telecom (TMT) Sector Group• Marketing and Business Development Partner (IP), CMS Europe• Leader of the Eastern European IP PracticeAs Chairman of the Technology, Media and Telecom Sector Group, I led a team of around 100 lawyers, business developers and support staff across the UK and Eastern Europe. Taking this role on after 3 months with the firm, my job was to turn the team around and improve its performance. Of note, I:• Significantly increased the team’s turnover in 3 years, despite the financial crisis and recession.• Built a core team, including strategic hires in the telecoms and satellite sectors to deliver a successful pan-European relationship, marketing and business development strategy.• Created a business development and professional delivery model which interested other sector teams within the firm.• Was instrumental in the appointment to BT’s global legal panel and other major international panel wins and was joint client relationship partner.The team won the 2010 Legal Business TMT Team of the Year Award for projects with the National Grid, RBS, BP, Onstream, Informa, Advanced Computer Software and Rumford Alliance.Details of my roles as Marketing and Business Development Partner and Leader of the Eastern European IP Practice may be seen below Show less

Leader, Central and Eastern European IP Practice

• 2006 - 2011

The Central and Eastern European IP practice was rapidly evolving, including many local staff who added to the skills offered by the western expatriates. Leading a team spread across 12 offices from the Balkans to Moscow, my successes included:• Uniting the Central and East European offices in a true team, creating for the first time effective communication and knowledge sharing.• Spreading knowledge and capacity building opportunities across the practice, mentoring, improving their international client contacts and spreading project delivery across the region.• Involvement in recruitment of staff, introducing robust methods to improve the quality of the result. • Guiding the team to win new international accounts, ranging from a pan-European mandate for substantial US based FMCG and TMT companies to the account for a major international drinks company in Bulgaria. Show less

Head of IP and Member of the London Management Team.

• 2003 - 2006

The UK office of a major US firm specialising in antitrust, global litigation and intellectual property law, I was head of IP in the London Office and one of a 3 person leadership team. My successes included: • Retaining many of my clients following my move from Eversheds. • Co-ordinating the firm’s European offices to improve the efficiency of their relationship with the US Head Office, creating a common understanding of strategic issues for consideration. The UK office of a major US firm specialising in antitrust, global litigation and intellectual property law, I was head of IP in the London Office and one of a 3 person leadership team. My successes included: • Retaining many of my clients following my move from Eversheds. • Co-ordinating the firm’s European offices to improve the efficiency of their relationship with the US Head Office, creating a common understanding of strategic issues for consideration.

Head of IP and member of the London Board

• 1994 - 2003

Leader of Eversheds’ National and International IP team, I was appointed to the board of the firm’s London office in 1997 and served on the board until I left in 2003. My successes included: • Participating in a strategy which successfully weathered the economic downturn caused by 9/11 and the bursting of the dot.com bubble by ensuring the business was broadly based and not over committed to one sector. • Injecting increased competitiveness, business development capacity and an international perspective into the firm with a particular emphasis on the US. Show less