PLC IPIT & Communications professional support team

Roger Wesson trained at Slaughter and May and worked in their corporate and commercial department for two years after qualifying. He then practised media and IP law for two years with Denton Hall (now SNR Denton), before moving to Allison & Humphreys (which later merged with Field Fisher Waterhouse), where he was a partner for five years, specialising in media and IP&IT law. He is head of PLC IPIT & Communications. Roger is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Lucy Lowry trained with Denton Hall (now SNR Denton) and practised as a solicitor there for six years, specialising in IP&IT law. During this time she was seconded for a period to the toy manufacturer, Hasbro UK, where she acted as intellectual property counsel. She is part-qualified as a trade mark attorney, holds the diploma in IP law from Bristol University and is a former plain-English officer for a leading insurance company. She joined PLC IPIT & Communications in 2004. Lucy is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Jacqui James (nee Irvine) trained at Slaughter and May and then moved to Bird & Bird, where she practised as a solicitor specialising in contentious IP law for four and a half years. She has worked on a range of high-profile cases, including Sean Sweeney v Macmillan, involving the copyright in James Joyce’s Ulysses. Jacqui has a first in law and the BCL from Oxford University, and holds the diploma in IP law from Bristol University. She joined PLC IPIT & Communications in 2005. Jacqui is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Hilary Pearson is a consultant to Bird & Bird, having previously been a partner in the firm's IP department for 11 years, practising in all areas of contentious and non-contentious IP&IT law. After a tenancy in London patent chambers, she spent ten years practising as a US lawyer and US patent attorney, first in Silicon Valley and then in Texas. Her degree in physics from Oxford University enables her to deal with complex technological issues, and her contentious experience includes managing semiconductor patent litigation for leading chip manufacturers. Hilary is not practising at PLC.

Michelle Wheeler trained at Herbert Smith and practised in their IP department for two years after qualifying, concentrating on contentious work. She then joined the College of Law, where she spent five years as a lecturer in IP and commercial law. Since joining PLC IPIT & Communications, her role has included writing and delivering PLC training courses in the fields of IP and commercial law. She holds the diploma in IP law from Bristol University. Michelle is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Heidi Hurdle qualified as a solicitor at Gouldens (now Jones Day) in 1991 and practised as an IP litigator for eight years, acting for clients in a number of high-profile cases, including the TREAT trade mark case. She subsequently moved to Olswang, where she established their IP know-how function and spent four years as a professional support lawyer, before joining PLC IPIT & Communications. Heidi is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Judith Rauhofer is a former solicitor. She qualified as a solicitor in 1999, having previously qualified as a Rechtsanwalt in Germany. She practised for four years at Lewis Silkin, specialising in data protection, e-commerce and general commercial law, before joining PLC IPIT & Communications in 2001. She also works as a Lecturer in Information Technology Law at the SCRIPT centre for law and technology at the University of Edinburgh, where her research focus is on data protection law, a field in which she has published articles and presented papers at conferences and workshops.

Elizabeth Newman trained and qualified with Lovells (now Hogan Lovells) where she worked in the intellectual property department on contentious and non-contentious intellectual property and information technology matters. While there, she did secondments with Granada Media and with Standard Chartered Bank. She subsequently worked as the in-house lawyer for TalkTalk Direct, a subsidiary of Carphone Warehouse. She has written chapters for Law and the Internet, edited by Lilian Edwards and Charlotte Waelde (Hart Publishing, 3rd ed, 2009) and for Telecommunications Law and Regulation, edited by Ian Walden (Oxford University Press, 4th ed, 2012). She holds the diploma in IP law from Bristol University. Elizabeth joined IPIT & Communications in 2006 and is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Tim Gunn practised as a solicitor in Australia before qualifying as a solicitor in the UK, where he practised at Norton Rose. He then spent 11 years in roles as in-house counsel with British Technology Group, Astra Zeneca and Shell International, before working for six years as a professional support lawyer with City law firms including Ashurst and Simmons & Simmons. Tim holds a post-graduate diploma in IP law from Queen Mary College, University of London and has worked as a tutor in business law studies at the University of Cambridge. He joined PLC IPIT & Communications in September 2009. Tim is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Alex Batteson worked as a patent examiner at the European Patent Office in The Hague for eight years, before being called to the English Bar in 1995. He joined Freshfields' IP and IT practice in 1997 and two years later moved to Bristows as a patent litigator. He became the professional support lawyer for the IP group at DLA Piper in 2004 and then with Linklaters in 2007. Alex has experience across the full range of IP rights and has been involved in a number of high-profile patent cases, including Haberman v Jackel, Intel v VIA and Cranway v Playtech. His degree in physics gives him a full understanding of complex technological issues. Alex is currently a non-practising barrister and solicitor.

Helen Padley trained at Denton Wilde Sapte (now SNR Denton) and worked as a professional support lawyer in their technology, media and telecommunications department for ten years. She subsequently worked at the Legal Services Commission for a year and the British Broadcasting Corporation for two years, where she specialised in data protection and freedom of information compliance. Helen also holds the ISEB certificate in data protection. She joined PLC IPIT & Communications in August 2012. Helen is currently a non-practising solicitor.

Mike Jones joined PLC IPIT & Communications in April 2013 as an assistant editor, having previously worked as a paralegal for the Tax, Private Client and Share Schemes & Incentives teams. He graduated in 2009 from University College London with a degree in ancient history. He completed the Graduate Diploma in Law in 2010 and the Legal Practice Course in 2011. Mike has a particular interest in media law after studying it on the LPC.

Melanie Horn graduated from King’s College London in 2008 with a degree in law, and went on to complete a masters in law at University College London. She has since undertaken work placements at various institutions, including the United Nations and the Council of Europe. Melanie currently works as a paralegal for PLC Commercial and PLC IPIT & Communications, and is studying the LPC part-time.

Sona Voreux completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Warwick, where she studied European Law. Following graduation in 2009, she undertook various work placements and pro bono work, including a Death Penalty Internship in California. She studied the Legal Practice Course at BPP in Holborn, passing with distinction. Sona joined PLC in August 2011 as a paralegal for PLC IPIT & Communications, Commercial and Employment.

Kelly Fallows studied at the University of East Anglia and Cumberland School of Law, Birmingham Alabama, USA, graduating in 2010 with a 2:1 in Law with American Law (LLB). She then went on to study the LPC at the College of Law, Bloomsbury, graduating in 2011 with a distinction. Kelly joined PLC in October 2011 and currently works as a paralegal for PLC IPIT & Communications and Commercial.

Jeremy Phillips has been involved in intellectual property teaching and research since 1973. A Research Director and Council Member of the Intellectual Property Institute, he is involved in the Queen Mary Intellectual Property Research Institute and is currently Intellectual Property Consultant to Olswang. Active in producing specialist leading texts, reference works and law reports in the IP and IT fields, Jeremy edits the Journal of Intellectual Property Law and Practice.

Ilanah Simon Fhima is a visiting lecturer at Kings College, London and University College, London, and a Doctoral Associate at Queen Mary, University of London. She is experienced in writing, training and editing in the IP field. Her current projects include deputy-editing the European Trade Mark Reports and serving as an editorial board member for the European Intellectual Property Review.