K&L Gates partner flies the coup
A partner at K&L Gates has joined Bird & Bird to head its IP practice in Australia.
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Jane Owen had been K&L Gates’ head of IP in Sydney for more than six years prior to joining Bird & Bird this month. She brings three associates across from K&L Gates – Troy Alexander Gurnett, Shehana Wijesena and Rebecca Currey.
A specialist in contentious IP, Ms Owen focuses on patent litigation, particularly life sciences disputes. Her experience ranges across complex patent infringement/revocation, trademark and passing off, design infringement, IP ownership disputes and appeals of decisions made by the Commissioner of Patents and the Registrar of Trade Marks.
Bird & Bird launched in Australia in November via a merger with Sydney technology boutique Truman Hoyle.
The Sydney office of Bird & Bird is run by Shane Barber, the former managing partner of Truman Hoyle.
Mr Barber said today that the appointment of Ms Owen was the next milestone in Bird & Bird’s expansion in the Asia-Pacific.
Bird & Bird has steadily built its presence in the Asia-Pacific in recent years, launching offices in Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong and Singapore. The firm has also inked a series of strategic agreements with local firms in the region, including Hwang Mok Park in Korea, and K&K Advocates and Nurjadin Sumono Mulyadi & Partners in Indonesia.
Ms Owen’s appointment has increased Bird & Bird’s partner headcount to a total of 38 in the Asia-Pacific region.