Wragge & Co has increased its international IP offering with the appointment of Dr. Caroline Cichon as a new partner in Munich. Dr.Caroline Cichon joins the firm from Bird & Bird. Her appointment and the promotion of brands specialist Kate Swaine in the UK take the total number of IP partners at the firm to 13.
Senior partner Quentin Poole said: “Wragge & Co is a leading name for international IP work, with specialists serving global and domestic organisations from the UK, China, Germany and Paris. In Caroline we have found someone who combines intellectual rigour with a focus on building long-term client relationships that deliver mutual benefit. She is an excellent fit for the team.”
Head of IP Gordon Harris added: “The new IP regime in Europe means that we are now seeking to strengthen our IP practice in the key centres. This appointment is a significant move forward for us in Munich and we hope there will be more to follow. We are looking to take similar steps in Paris so that we can present a full European IP offering to our US and Far Eastern clients.”
Dr. Caroline Cichon said: “As an IP specialist I have always been impressed by the quality of Wragge & Co’s people. They are experts in their respective fields and focus on providing an excellent and commercially focused service to clients. Wragge & Co has ambitious plans for Germany and for the IP practice, and I am looking forward to helping deliver on both.”
Dr. Caroline Cichon advises clients on a broad range of IP, IT and general commercial issues, both contentious and non-contentious. Areas of expertise include copyright, patent, media/personality right (defamation, privacy and publicity), trade mark, competition and e-commerce work.
Dual-qualified as a German and US lawyer, Dr. Caroline Cichon was admitted as a Rechtsanwältin (German attorney-at-law) in 2000, having completed her Dr. jur. (PhD in law) at the University of Munich in 1999. She joined Bird & Bird in 2007 as a Senior European Consultant, a position which was renamed Counsel in 2011. This role resembles that of a salaried partner in other firms or director at Wragge & Co.
During her time at Bird & Bird Dr. Caroline Cichon belonged, among other things, to a litigation team which represented a high technology research institution in an international arbitration about the ownership of two standard-essential patents.
In January, director Dr. Ina Gerstberger joined Wragge & Co’s Munich office from Gerstenberg Rechtsanwälte. An expert in the life sciences and food & drink sectors, Ina specialises in delivering IP, regulatory and contractual advice to a global client base.
With experts in Europe and China, Wragge & Co’s 51-lawyer IP teamadvises national and international clients on a full range of contentious and non-contentious matters. Specialist areas include patent, trade mark, copyright, design right, defamation, advertising and marketing laws.
Acting for some of the world’s biggest organisations, the team’s track record includes high-profile matters for Dyson, Hasbro, Wirecard and H. Lundbeck A/S. Successes include helping Contour Aerospace Limited and Delta Air lines, Inc. win the latest battle in a long-running dispute with Virgin Atlantic Airways Limited.
Dr. Caroline Cichon joined the firm on 1 April.
