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Penningtons Manches Cooper—Duncan Curley, Amanda Easey & Cheng Tan

26 April 2022
Categories: Movers & Shakers , Profession
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Law firm appoints three IP litigation lawyers

Law firm Penningtons Manches Cooper has recently recruited a team of three senior lawyers to its intellectual property litigation practice.

Based in the firm’s London office, Dr Duncan Curley, Dr Amanda Easey and Cheng Tan’s extensive expertise spans all contentious IP matters, including patent disputes, trademark disputes, patent analysis, freedom to operate, and regulatory issues.

The trio have worked closely together for several years at Innovate Legal, a boutique practice founded by Dr Duncan Curley, advising businesses in the life sciences sector, including generic pharmaceutical manufacturers and brand owners.

Joining as a partner, Duncan (pictured, centre) will lead the expansion of the firm’s IP disputes work. With over 25 years’ experience advising clients on a broad range of disputes involving patents, trade marks, designs and confidential information, he is particularly known for advising on freedom to operate and market entry for companies operating in the life sciences sector.

Dr Amanda Easey (pictured, right) joins the firm as a senior associate. Before taking the decision to pursue a career in law, she qualified as a doctor and practised at an NHS hospital, acquiring experience in various medical specialties. She also gained research experience in the fields of electrophysiology and virology. Since qualifying as lawyer in the London Office of McDermott, Will & Emery, she has specialised in IP dispute resolution, developing particular experience of pharmaceutical patent litigation and cases involving multiple European jurisdictions. 

Also joining as a senior associate, Cheng Tan (pictured, left) has expertise in procurement, enforcement and commercial exploitation of trade marks, designs and copyright. Her experience covers mainly soft Intellectual Property Rights in a variety of industries, some of which include generic pharmaceuticals, technology, clothing, technology and finance. With over two decades of experience as a UK solicitor, she brings with her strategic and tactical experience in managing contentious registry proceedings and portfolio management.

Commenting on the appointments, partner Anna Frankum, who leads Penningtons Manches Cooper’s IT, IP and commercial team said: 'I’m absolutely delighted to be welcoming Duncan, Amanda and Cheng to the team. They are all excellent lawyers who will help us drive forward our growth strategy, with highly specialist skills and experience that complement those of the wider team, especially in the life sciences sector. We all very much look forward to working closely with them to further develop our client offering.'

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