Strength in depth

I have a close working relationship with a number of important organisations that complement the services that I provide to my clients. They include:

• Law firms, in Australia and throughout the world
• Merchant banks
• Brokers
• Venture capital and fund managers
• Public sector departments
• NGO’s
• Technical advisers and industry experts
• Independent associations and representative bodies.
  

These organisations form an important part of my firm’s overall professional strategy, namely, to be able to provide a full service to my clients, whatever their requirements and regardless of the complexity of the transaction. Examples of the associates and affiliates that make up this network include the following:

Law firms

I have been a partner at top-tier law firms in Australia, London and Hong Kong. Some of my former partners have also moved on to new firms. I have maintained a close relationship with many of my former partners and I continue to work closely with them on a “best friends” basis. This provides me with national and international strength-in-depth from lawyers that I can trust, such as:

• Bird & Bird, my former firm in London and European Law Firm of the Year - offices in Beijing, Brussels, Düsseldorf, The Hague, Hong Kong, London, Milan, Munich, Paris, Rome and Stockholm
• DLA Piper, the merger of an English firm with two American firms created a world-wide firm with enormous depth in all business sectors and legal disciplines - offices throughout Western and Eastern Europe, North America and Asia
• The Kennedy Strang Legal Group, which comprises Kemp Strang (Sydney), Russell Kennedy (my former firm in Melbourne), Thynne & Macartney (Brisbane), Lynch Meyer (Adelaide) and Christensen Vaughan (Perth)

More generally, after 23 years in practice, I have built up a close network of contacts throughout the world. If required, I can draw on the expertise of these contacts who are leading professionals in their field (and, just as importantly, they're mates and fellow golfing tragics – the perfect combination!).

Public sector departments

• Austrade - the Australian government trade commission for Australian exporters and companies wanting to do business with Australia. My Export Coach is an online portal of export-related information including online training modules tailored for Australian ICT and health companies who are interested in expanding offshore. My firm wrote the intellectual property sections for these modules and I continue to work with Austrade and its member companies in the pursuit of offshore markets for their products and services.
  

• Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy (DBCDE - formerly DCITA) the government department with responsibility for the information technology and communications industries. One of the Department's popular yearly competitions is the SECRETS of Australian IT Innovation. As a judge on the award panel for the last 4 years I have had the opportunity to form alliances within the Department and to get up close and personal with many of the emerging Australian technology companies in the fields of software development, e-commerce and multi-media.
• UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) is the UK Government organisation that helps UK-based companies succeed in the increasingly global economy, in particular to maximise their international success. UKTI provides UK companies with knowledge, advice and practical support. My firm has for many years worked with a number of UKTI's clients, large and small, helping them through the local (Australian) legal and regulatory issues which they face when setting up and doing business in Australia.
  

Independent associations and representative bodies

• WIPO (the World Intellectual Property Organisation), based in Geneva, is an independent body that has established itself as the leading forum for the advancement of intellectual property rights throughout the world. One of its aims is to provide a dispute resolution service that reduces the time and cost associated with IP-related litigation. It was my pleasure to accept WIPO’s invitation to join their team of Arbitrators and Mediators who are appointed to settle these disputes.

• INTA (the International Trademark Association), based in New York, is another influential, independent body that focuses specifically on promoting the protection of the brands and trade marks of its members, which include the major brand owners and IP professionals throughout the world.
  
• Since 1995 I have been a member of INTA’s Publications Committee and have built up an extensive international network of peers from private sector law firms as well as in-house counsel.
• More recently, I have been invited to join INTA's Panel of Neutrals, a group of leading IP practitioners who (attempt to) mediate and settle IP-related disputes.