Womble Bond Dickinson (WBD) has won the Intellectual Property award at the Yorkshire Legal Awards. The firm's extensive Intellectual Property (IP) Department based in Leeds and led by Patrick Cantrill, who heads up IP for WBD in the UK, is made up of a team of solicitors, CITMA qualified trade mark attorneys and other specialists. A number of the team's members have practised in other jurisdictions.
The team has demonstrated its ability to project itself outwards and in presenting the award, the judges specifically noted the high profile work that the team does from a base in Yorkshire for clients across the UK and overseas.
Patrick Cantrill, Head of Intellectual Property at WBD comments:
"…It's fantastic for us to win this award and to see our achievements recognised. The real credit belongs to the many people in our IP team who all work extremely hard to achieve successful results for clients both locally and internationally…."
"….Our combination with US law firm, Womble Carlyle, in November last year created an array of opportunities and has resulted in significant growth for the team. We work very closely with the US team in order to provide cross-jurisdictional advice. Moreover, with the recent acquisition of Blakelys, the renowned California practice, in IP on a global scale, WBD goes from strength to strength."
The team is committed to representing Yorkshire on an international stage. As well as participating in international industry bodies, such as the International Trade Mark Association and the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property, members of the team regularly attend conferences to share experiences and expertise with businesses and fellow practitioners across the globe. As an example, Patrick was recently invited to be part of the international delegation of the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys to Australia and New Zealand.
The team's main pro bono project this year promoted the firm-wide campaign of supporting women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Manufacturing (STEM). The campaign nominated women who have made significant contributions to the world of IP, with the aim of inspiring inventors, particularly women, and aiming to redress the general under-representation of women seeking protection for their IP.
The Yorkshire Legal Awards, which bring together and celebrate the outstanding legal talent across the region, were attended by over 900 legal professionals at New Dock Hall in Leeds. In a successful night for WBD, Paula Dillon, Partner in the firm's Real Estate team also won Lawyer of the Year.
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