News Item
Marks & Clerk Solicitors opens branch in Cambridge
13 March 2009
Marks & Clerk Solicitors has opened a new office in Cambridge. Simon Portman, previously a partner at local firm Hewitsons LLP and a well-known lawyer in the region, has been appointed to head up the new branch.
Simon brings with him considerable IP legal experience, particularly in the fields of bioscience and healthcare, having led Hewitsons’ Bioscience practice. In addition, Simon has notable experience of IT and software-related IP law and has advised many leading organisations including the Medical Research Council, NHS Trusts and local companies Owlstone and Plastic Logic.
The expansion of Marks & Clerk Solicitors will provide local single point access to the full range of IP services through its unique association with Marks & Clerk Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys. The new branch is in the same central location as the existing Marks & Clerk Cambridge office, replicating the progressive set up the Solicitors and Patent and Trade Marks Attorneys enjoy in London. Clients in the Cambridge region will now have one-stop access to a service that meets all their IP needs – from IP protection and portfolio management, to commercial advice, licensing, enforcement, due diligence and litigation.
Mark Blair, Senior Partner of Marks & Clerk Solicitors, comments: “We know from our experience that clients greatly value the comprehensive specialist IP expertise they can access through our integrated business structure. This deeper insight and breadth of service also serves to set us apart. We are confident that Simon will continue that trend and are delighted to have him on board, especially as Cambridge is such an important region and home to many of our key clients.”
The Cambridge office opening marks another milestone for Marks & Clerk Solicitors as well as the Marks & Clerk group as a whole. In 2008 Marks & Clerk Solicitors expanded its business internationally with an associated Hong Kong law firm, building on the Marks & Clerk group expansion in Asia after its merger with Lloyd Wise. More recently Marks & Clerk Solicitors has attracted considerable attention in the market and in the media by bringing the first ever successful inventor compensation suit in the UK to the High Court.
Simon Portman, new head of Marks & Clerk Solicitors in Cambridge, comments: “Marks & Clerk Solicitors is enjoying a very exciting time in its development, and I look forward to playing a part in that process. I have known the Marks & Clerk Cambridge team for many years and am delighted to now have the opportunity to collaborate closely with them and be part of a team that provides Cambridge clients with a seamless integrated IP service on their doorstep.”