Antitrust Law Daily Wrap Up, INDUSTRY NEWS: International franchising specialist Abell joins Bird & Bird, (Jun 20, 2013)
Organizations Mentioned:Bird & Bird | World Intellectual Property Organization
Bird & Bird has added international franchise attorney Mark Abell as a partner in the newly-created position of Head of Franchising, Licensing and Multi-Channel Strategies in its London office, according to a recent announcement. Abell was previously a partner and Head of Franchising and Licensing with Field Fisher Waterhouse, where he practiced for 27 years.
Earlier this year, Bird & Bird appointed international franchise attorneys Victoria Hobbs and Graeme Payne as partners in the London office. Hobbs and Payne also had practiced at Field Fisher Waterhouse.
Abell has built a long-standing practice on matters relating to franchising and the internationalization and exploitation of intellectual property rights. The Chambers legal directory has rated him as the U.K.’s top franchising lawyer, describing him as “the Guru of franchising,” according to Bird & Bird.
He has served as an expert on franchising for the World Intellectual Property Organization and World Trade Organization and is co-editor of the International Journal of Franchising Law. Abell is a member of the International Bar Association Franchise Committee, the American Bar Association Forum on Franchising, and the Licensing Executives Society. He has published more than 500 articles in a wide variety of publications and journals and is the author of a number of books on franchising topics.
“Bird & Bird’s expertise in commercial contracts and its reputation for protecting brands, as well as its global-reach, mean it is the perfect place in which to build a leading international franchising practice,” commented Abell. “I am now looking forward to working with colleagues across the firm to achieve that goal.”
Bird & Bird is an international law firm with more than 900 lawyers located in 23 offices worldwide.
News: IndustryNewsTrends