Sally is a partner in the firm's Intellectual Property department and head of the Brands group. She advises on brand protection strategies including clearance, monitoring and enforcement as well as trade mark and design filing. She acts for brands at all stages, from creation through to international expansion, both in preparation for investment and following acquisition. Sally advises clients in a wide variety of sectors ranging from betting and gaming to real estate. She is co-head of the firm's Retail group and takes a lead role in the firm's mentoring programmes with the British Fashion Council and Walpole, and sits on the UK Council of the Creative Industries Federation. Prior to qualifying as a lawyer Sally worked in brand management for Benckiser (Reckitt Benckiser), Heinz and Budweiser where her responsibilities included new product development, advertising, promotion, PR, packaging and sponsorship. She is frequently called upon by both the press and broadcast media to comment on brand related developments.
England - London • Industry focus
Mishcon de Reya LLP
With demonstrable strength in contentious work, Mishcon de Reya LLP’s retail team is instructed by large retail and luxury brands, both established companies and start-ups, to handle trade mark disputes, and advise on brand management issues, franchise developments, and commercial and strategic partnerships. The team is jointly led by Sally Britton and Lewis Cohen; the former’s expertise spans brand protection strategies, including enforcement, monitoring, and design filing, while the latter specialises in the full range of retail sector-related commercial arrangements. Following its January 2023 merger with Mishcon de Reya LLP, the team strengthened its capabilities with the arrivals of employment expert Dominic Holmes, data privacy specialist James Boyle, and Louisa Dixon, who handles international brand protection and enforcement matters.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘We do a lot of work with Mishcon de Reya. They are excellent. They know how to manage complex disputes to a successful outcome. And they are approachable and a pleasure to work with as well.’
‘Richard Leedham - a very safe pair of hands and a brilliant, commercial operator who knows how to manage and settle the most complex of disputes. This includes large, group consumer claims.’
‘Solid team where each level achieves excellence. Their advice has proven timely and solid. We rely on them extensively.’
‘The most distinguishing characteristic of the group is the level of turnaround coupled with handling the details and nuances of our industry really well. One develops a serious level of trust with the excellent service that the firm renders.’
Key clients
- Sainsbury's
- Ocado
- Capital & Counties (Covent Garden London)
- Christian Louboutin
- Fendi
- Alexander McQueen
- British Fashion Council
- Iceland Foods
- Lidl
- John Lewis
- Thom Browne
- TKMaxx
- Bluebella
- Lakeland
- Ryman
Work highlights
- Representing Iceland Foods in trade mark proceedings before the EUIPO Grand Board of Appeal.
- Advising The Olayan Group on issues relating to The Knightsbridge Estate.
Lawyers
Leading individuals
Lewis is a commercial Partner in the Intellectual Property department and specialises in commercial and IP arrangements. Lewis works with clients from a broad range of sectors to help them to generate income from their IP and to extend their international reach through franchising, distribution, agency and licensing arrangements. He advises on the full range of commercial, IP and media agreements including: manufacturing; services; management; sponsorship; endorsement; terms and conditions; publishing; development; assignments; and other exploitation arrangements. He also advises on the use and exploitation of IP rights. Lewis has strong sector experience in sport; fashion, luxury and retail; media and entertainment; food services and digital, as well as the specialist agreements in these sectors. For example, in sport, Lewis advises on major sponsorships; venue hires; hospitality; catering; ticketing; broadcasting; licensing; tour and friendly match arrangements. In retail, he has advised on high-profile major endorsement arrangements; international franchising; product distribution; retail websites; and app development. In media, Lewis has advised YouTubers; film and TV distributors; publishers; and authors. He has been named as one of the Hot 100 Lawyers by The Lawyer magazine. His insight on legal issues has been sought by, amongst others, Sky News, The Evening Standard, Sport Business, Sky Sports News and The Guardian.
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Sally Britton, Lewis Cohen