Praised for its ‘timely, accurate and sound advice’, Hogan Lovells International LLP counts household name brands in its client roster, advising on various UK prosecution matters, as well as managing global trade mark portfolios. The practice is well-versed in handling matters arising from the telecoms and automotive sectors. ’Expert’ Joel Smith, who is reputed for his work on high-profile disputes, IP contractual matters and IP-rich transactions, jointly leads the team alongside Sahira Khwaja, who spearheads the firm’s brands practice, conducting numerous trade mark infringement and portfolio matters for luxury brands in particular. Commended for her ‘excellent client management skills’, senior associate Emily Sharkey is another key contact in the group.
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Great practical business-orientated advice. Good organisation of the team, distribution of responsibilities. Good communication.’
‘In depth understanding our business and its priorities.’
‘The team provides timely, accurate and sound advice, with a keen sense of our business priorities. Advice provided is practical and takes into account business priorities.'
'The team has a great understanding of our business and appetite for risk and budgetary considerations. Technology and collaboration are strong - extra broader support and willingness to support in industry federations etc. are very helpful.’
‘Emily Sharkey has excellent client management skills and a pleasure to work with.'
'Sahira Khwaja has a no nonsense straight talking approach; she provides clear practical advice.’
‘The team acts responsively and provides guidance for business decisions.’
‘Joel Smith is a subject-matter expert, with an ability to communicate complex messages in a business-friendly way.’
Key clients
- Intermediate Capital Group
- QatarEnergy
- News UK
- Caterpillar
- Volvo
- Treasury Wines Estates (TWE)
- AXA Insurance UK PLC (AXA)
- Lucozade Ribena Suntory
- Yum! Brands
- Asahi International
- International Finance Corporate
- Edrington
- adidas
Work highlights
- Acting for Caterpillar in UK prosecution matters and disputes, including advising on international trademark disputes relating to the enforcement of its CAT brand, including with Great Wall Motor Company, Puma and Tigercat.
- Advised Intermediate Capital Group on its acquisition of the OVO Arena, Wembley, involving co-existence issues relating to different parties' use of the geographical term Wembley.
- Representing News UK with a variety of household name brand titles including The Times, The Sunday Times, The Sun, The Sun on Sunday and The TLS.
Lawyers
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Joel Smith, Sahira Khwaja