Member Article

IP firm welcomes life sciences specialist to Sheffield

Leading intellectual property firm, Withers & Rogers, is welcoming a partner and life sciences specialist to its Sheffield office as part its ongoing expansion plans.

Dr. Joanna Thurston, partner and patent attorney at Withers & Rogers, is joining the local team from the firm’s Midlands office, bringing a wealth of experience working with innovative chemical and biopharmaceutical firms with her. She joined Withers & Rogers in 2008, after qualifying as a European and UK Patent Attorney in 2005. At Sheffield, Joanna will be working alongside fellow partners, David McWilliams, Paul Foot and John-Paul Rooney and the local office now offers a complete range of patent-related services.

Commenting on her arrival in Sheffield, Joanna said: “It’s a really exciting time to be joining the team in Sheffield as the office is expanding really quickly thanks to all the innovation that is happening in the city and across the region.”

A recent report by Centre for Cities, Cities Outlook 2015, highlighted Sheffield as a hot bed of innovation. The city was ranked eighth in the UK for number of patents filed, a key indicator of growth and enterprise.

Joanna concluded: “I’m looking forward to developing the firm’s presence in Sheffield further by reaching out to local life sciences and clean technology companies and helping them to commercialise their inventions fully. I am also looking forward to building closer links with local universities.”

In addition to its Sheffield office, Withers & Rogers has offices in London, Leamington Spa and Bristol. The firm opened its fourth UK office at the Electric Works on Sheffield Digital Campus in September 2009 and it moved into larger premises at the same location last year to make space for its growing team. The firm also opened an office in Munich last year, as part of a strategic move to stay close to the European Patent Office (EPO) and further improve services for UK and international clients seeking patent protection in Germany and across Europe.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Withers & Rogers .