Bird & Bird’s Trevor Cook spreads his wings

Managing IP is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 1-2 Paris Gardens, London, SE1 8ND

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2026

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

Cookies Settings

Bird & Bird’s Trevor Cook spreads his wings

Leading UK litigator Trevor Cook is ending his 39-year association with Bird & Bird and will join WilmerHale’s New York office as a partner on January 1 next year

Trevor Cook

Cook was most recently co-head of Bird & Bird’s international life sciences group and has written books including A User’s Guide to Patents and EU Intellectual Property Law. He is well known for his experience in handling disputes across different technologies and IP rights, as well as coordinating cross-border litigation.

Cook joined Bird & Bird in 1974. At WilmerHale, he is expected to focus on international IP litigation, and expand the firm’s US practice to Europe and Asia.

His move may be a sign that major law firms are seeking to make senior lateral hires in preparation for handling work before the planned Unified Patents Court in Europe, which is due to be set up in the next few years.

more from across site and SHARED ros bottom lb

More from across our site

Vice presidents Shinya Jitsuhiro and Hirohisa Suzuki discuss litigation trends in Japan, recruitment challenges and clients’ international expansion
IP boutique Petillion represented IKEA in the dispute, which concerned the use of the multinational’s trademarks in an immigration-focused campaign. The firm tells Managing IP how it secured the outcome
The Pizzeys-Griffith Hack integration was designed to create a stronger Australian IP platform but with several ex-Pizzeys principals now gone, the deal's success may depend on where clients place their trust
Thomas Lonsdale and Hsu Min Chung of HGF explore the practical impact of the EPO’s Enlarged Board of Appeal’s decision in G1/25 and its interplay with G1/24
The firm’s recent IP hire and launch of a new robotics industry group signal an effort to capture work emerging from AI entering the physical world
Another firm sets up shop in Dallas, bringing its patent disputes capabilities to one of the US’s busiest litigation venues
Entrepreneurial IP lawyers are still launching specialist firms, but increasingly with larger teams, broader coverage and greater infrastructure than the boutique model once implied
Jevon Louis explains how Covid led to a focus on local clients, discusses why mediation is successful in Singapore and reflects on the growing demand for AI advice
An increase in instructions from domestic companies and litigation for international clients are driving success for the Chinese IP firm, according to two lead partners
Ankur Sangal said he wants his team, nearly 30-strong already, to respond to a growing demand for specialist, commercially focused IP advice in a ‘rapidly evolving’ Indian market
Gift this article