Dehns hires ex-Venner Shipley partner as litigation head
European law firm Dehns has hired Paul Harris as its new head of litigation and partner.
Harris brings more than 35 years of experience in IP litigation across several sectors, specialising in pharmaceutical, electronics and mechanical patents. He is also known for his work in trademark and confidential information matters.
Prior to joining, he was a partner at Venner Shipley for five years and Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman for two.
He has successfully defended Black & Decker in action brought by Electrolux—a ruling that led to changes in the patents court guidelines on experiments and expert’s reports.
“I am thrilled to be joining Dehns at such an exciting time and I look forward to working with such a first-rate team, '' said Harris. “I’m also excited to be working with Dehns’ existing client base, in addition to introducing our comprehensive litigation services to new clients.”
Dehns runs one of the largest European Patent Office opposition practices in Europe, and conducts litigation in-house, across the IP Enterprise Court, Patents Court and the Court of Appeal.
Dehns senior partner, Alex Piesold, said: “Paul brings a wealth of IP litigation expertise, as well as expertise in non-contentious matters. Following our recent acquisition of Leogriff, one of Norway’s leading IP Consultancies, and our even more recent merger with KGP, a well-established German IP firm, this is yet another part of our business strategy which has come to fruition.”
On average, the firm files 4000-plus UK, European and international patent applications each year—a figure that increased to more than 6,000 in 2019.
Did you enjoy reading this story? Sign up to our free daily newsletters and get stories sent like this straight to your inbox
Today’s top stories
45% of execs failing on trade secrets basics: report
