The financial year 2023/24 was an eventful one for the IP Team, with many a positive change taking place.

The Team has grown from 6 members in the year 2022/23, to the 8 members team that are all IP specialists. 

Lakmal Walawage stepped into the role of Head of Department in November 2023. Lakmal says:

“It’s a privilege to step into the role of Head of Intellectual Property at JMW, with this growing and ambitious Team. The members of the Team are a joy to work with and their level of expertise is incredibly high with most having studied IP to post-graduate level. Most importantly, their level of client service and dedication to meeting client objectives is second to none.”

Lucy Marlow also had a change of role in May 2024, joining the partnership at JMW. Lucy says:

“It’s fantastic to see the IP Team continue to go from strength to strength, building upon our strong foundations to further support our clients with all their IP needs. On a personal note, I’m delighted to be promoted, but this is truly testament to the team’s collective efforts and support throughout. I feel very fortunate to be part of such a strong team of experts. We’ve also achieved some fantastic results along the way, often litigating against Magic/Silver Circle firms and coming out on top!”

Vincent Liu is a new addition to the Team, having previously worked at the biggest Legal500 ranked IP firm in China, and studied an LLM in IP at the University of Glasgow. Vincent says:

“It’s a pleasure to join such a professional and client-focused team. I am excited to collaborate with everyone to provide our clients with comprehensive IP service, helping them build, protect, and manage their intellectual property both in the UK and globally, utilising my knowledge and experience as a dual-qualified solicitor across different jurisdictions. I look forward to the journey ahead and the opportunity to contribute to our clients’ success.”

In other news, Michael Rimola, whom many of you will be familiar with, qualified as a solicitor (May 2023) and completed his Post Graduate Diploma in IP law at Oxford University (July 2024).Stephanie Ooi has completed her SQE exams and hopes to qualify into the Team as a solicitor in November 2024. Kara Mullings is beginning her training contract with the Team (having worked within the Team as a paralegal for 2 years) in September 2024.