WTR 1000 writes:

D Young & Co is a well-established player in an incredibly competitive market, which makes its consistent year-on-year growth all the more impressive.

Intractable trademark problems are rare these days, but few firms are as well equipped as this one to handle complex and multifaceted brand-related issues; the outfit’s team of experts is substantial and they artfully cross the prosecution-litigation divide.

It is now seven years since D Young & Co established its litigation practice and given its fabulous list of clients, it is not surprising that it has been a successful endeavour thus far.

Partner highlights

Tamsin Holman was the subject of emphatic praise during the 2017 WTR 1000 research: "She is an exceptional IP lawyer of the highest calibre and delivers top-quality legal advice at a very reasonable price point. She is practical, knows her clients’ businesses well and is extremely responsive. Together with her team, she is a cut above the rest and is someone who never disappoints.”

An attorney with trademark and design litigation qualifications, Jeremy Pennant also maintains a thriving enforcement practice. He is one of the biggest names in the profession, and is “a reasonable, business-focused practitioner with a top-quality international practice, vast experience and a great touch with clients”. As head of the trademark division, he also oversees a lot of the set’s prosecution activities.

Matthew Dick safeguards many household names and is perspicacious when it comes to protection and enforcement strategy. High-flyers in the profession call him “an incredibly bright guy with the law at his fingertips”, “a problem solver who never gets bogged down in legal minutiae” and importantly, “a really nice, personable guy”.

Recently joining Dick in the team of partners is Gemma Kirkland, whose rapid rise in private practice is testament to the quality of training D Young & Co provides. Perhaps as a result of her in-house experience, she has “a great sense of her clients’ risk tolerance” and a knack for “coming up with creative, practical solutions that achieve clients’ goals without a huge bill coming at the end”.

Gemma is based in Southampton together with Pennant and Helen Cawley, who also has extensive in-house experience to draw on. Cawley works wonders in administrative contentious proceedings and registers trademarks around the world with poise and precision.

London’s Jackie Johnson also operates on the international stage; of late, she has been visiting US associates and brand owners, getting to know what makes them tick before formulating the most effective protections for them.

Hanns-Juergen Grosse at D Young & Co brings valuable in-house experience to the table, thanks to a spell at Infineon Technologies; he produces straightforward, crystal-clear reports that can easily be reviewed in a boardroom.