Gowlings grabs Unilever counsel

Canadian law firm Gowlings Lafleur Henderson LLP has snapped up Unilever’s former vice president legal and global anti-counterfeiting counsel, the firm announced in April.

Richard Heath joins Gowlings’ London office as a senior policy advisor in intellectual property.

Heath retired from Unilever in 2010. He worked as a private sector consultant specialising in international brand protection before joining Gowlings on April 1.

Heath was head of corporate and general trademarks counsel in a previous role at Unilever, overseeing its trademark portfolio. Heath worked at healthcare company Smith & Nephew before joining Unilever, where he was head of trademarks.

Scott Jolliffe, chair and chief executive officer of Gowlings, said: “Heath’s experience at the highest level in developing and implementing intellectual property policy and strategy—both locally and globally—will be of immense value to our clients in Europe and around the world.”