National law firm Irwin Mitchell has appointed leading IP industry expert Katrina Burchell to its IP team. Katrina is a leading brands specialist and European Trade Mark Attorney and her hire is part of a strategic drive to build and expand its IP and brands-focused practice.

Katrina will be based in the firm’s London office and is the 22nd high-profile appointment to be announced by Irwin Mitchell’s commercial practice since the start of 2012.

Katrina is a well-known name in the IP world, both in the UK and internationally. She qualified as a European Trade Mark Attorney over 25 years ago and has significant and broad based brands experience from corporate transactions through to IP litigation.

She was the IP director of Kerring, which is the owner of high-profile brands such as Gucci, Bottega Veneta, Yves Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen and Stella McCartney, among others. She received acclaim for outsourcing aspects of Unilever’s worldwide trademark portfolio to Manila to save costs, while improving turnaround time and quality, a format now adopted by other multi-nationals.

The team has also grown with two further senior members, who include Head of National Litigation, Nigel Kissack who has a wealth of IP experience and Alex Newman, an intellectual property specialist and partner who leads the firm’s IP Practice in the North of England.

Katrina said, ‘I’m absolutely delighted to be joining the IP team of one of the UK’s most exciting, successful and respected law firms. I’m excited not only by the opportunity to work with the firm’s significant existing clients but to build a brands-driven practice.’

Irwin Mitchell’s IP team has extensive experience in providing advice across the complete range of contentious and non-contentious IP matters and offers a one-stop-shop service in relation to trademarks, encompassing trademark filing, domain name management, and online brand monitoring, through to enforcement both in the UK and overseas.

The team are highly regarded for their deep knowledge of the fashion, sport, media, luxury goods and technology and engineering industries, in particular.

IP partner Georgie Collins said: ‘Recruiting Katrina is a real coup for Irwin Mitchell in terms of her profile, extensive in-house experience and knowledge of all things brand. Katrina understands how to price and market brands-led IP products and services effectively and efficiently without compromising quality.’

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