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

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

Maria Peyman, head of IP at Birketts, explains why the firm is adopting a ‘seamless approach’ for clients by integrating two of its practice areas
Matthew Swinn, who leads the firm’s IP practice, discusses why Mallesons is well-placed to remain a major IP force
Lawyers at A&O Shearman analyse developments regarding UPC’s long-arm jurisdiction, including its scope and jurisdictional limits
Michelle Lee discusses reaching milestones at the USPTO, AI’s role in legal work, and how to empower women in tech and IP
Executive chair Matt Dixon, who reveals a new associate hire, says the firm wants to offer a realistic pathway to partnership while avoiding the ‘corporate machine’ route
Mayer Brown’s role in cardiovascular technology dispute reflects how firms are pursuing precedent-setting cases to try and guide AI and patent law
Kevin Mack, Via’s new president, emphasises the importance of collaborative licensing structures and shares how AI tools can help create new lines of business
A Tokyo District Court ruling concerning movie spoilers, and a second chance for VLSI against Intel were also among the top talking points
Practitioners believe new AI tools at the USPTO will not replace lawyers or disrupt revenue, but instead expose where a trademark attorney’s value lies
Leighton Cassidy Legal hopes to leverage its founder's international experience and provide clients with a rare chance to receive litigation and prosecution under one umbrella
Gift this article