Beijing firm China Sinda has poached the head of Deacons' China
IP enforcement team.
Hong Kong-based Gordon Gao is moving to the mainland firm in May
and will work alongside former colleague Paul Scholefield.
Scholefield, who headed up Deacons' intellectual property team
until his retirement in 2000, moved to China Sinda in January to
develop the firm's business strategy.
The firm now has around 200 staff including 40 patent
attorneys.
Gao, a PRC national, is a US qualified patent attorney and
qualified as a lawyer in California. He advises on IP licencing and
strategic alliances as well as patent and trade mark litigation and
enforcement in China.
At China Sinda Gao is expected to help Scholefield increase
efficiency and quality and to develop the firm's image and
reputation, as well as advising clients on patents and IP-related
litigation and administrative appeals.
Given the constraints on the legal advice that foreign law firms
can offer in China, many overseas firms have traditionally seen
their commitment to professionalism and quality as their
competitive advantage in the mainland market.
But Gao's move is part of an effort by mainland firms,
spearheaded by China Sinda, to offer more client-driven services
and a more commercial approach to legal advice. Scholefield has
already pledged to try and make China Sinda the best IP firm in
China, standing up with the top 10 IP firms in the world.
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