Baker & McKenzie adds to intellectual property team

Baker & McKenzie is bolstering its Hong Kong and China intellectual property practice û which includes commercial, anti-piracy, trademark and patent law û by adding six new IP lawyers.

In addition, as part of the firmÆs strategic focus of expanding its commercial IP practice in China, Winston Zee, a senior partner with extensive China experience, is also joining the IP practice to further beef up the team.

This brings the number of IP practitioners and professional staff in the firmÆs Hong Kong and China offices to 90 people, which the firm says makes it one of the largest IP practices in Hong Kong and China.

ôProtection of IP rights has been one of the key concerns of multinational companies in China,ö says Tan Loke Khoon, head of the IP practice in Hong Kong and China at Baker & McKenzie. ôThe addition of these new team members will ensure that Baker & McKenzie has the necessary resources and talent to manage the growing volume of trademark and commercial IP work.ö

The new staff include Maria Smith, who joins the firmÆs Hong Kong office as a senior associate, primarily focusing on IP trademark registration work for Hong Kong. She has 15 years of experience as a trademark attorney, advising on all aspects of trademark applications across Asia Pacific, Europe and the United States.

Angeline Lee joins the firmÆs Hong Kong office as a senior associate. She has over eight years of experience, with a particular focus on commercial IP, trademark registration and patent work. Prior to joining Baker & McKenzie, she was the regional anti-money laundering compliance manager at Western Union Financial Services.

Sian Bowen will join the firmÆs Hong Kong office as a senior associate, primarily focusing on IP trademark registration work for Hong Kong and IP advisory matters. She previously worked as senior in-house counsel at a leading energy company, handling contentious and non-contentious matters.

Clement Ngai joins the firm as a senior associate in the Shanghai office, primarily focusing on IP enforcement work for China. Prior to joining Baker & McKenzie, Clement was with Honeywell as its Asia IP Counsel covering all IP matters in the region.

Gloria Poon and Annie Tsoi will join the firm as associates in the Hong Kong office. Poon has experience with trademark registration and related commercial advisory work, while Tsoi has experience in handling commercial and regulatory IP work, including both contentious and non-contentious matters.