CMS moves its EU trade marks and design practice to Warsaw

CMS has taken steps to ensure it can continue to represent its clients before the European Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) following Brexit.

Taking advantage of its strong European platform, CMS UK has moved its EU trade marks and design practice to Warsaw, to join the existing Polish IP practice led by Tomasz Koryzma. A number of the firm’s London partners are now registered as Polish lawyers and split their time between London and Warsaw. In addition, CMS has recruited a specialist team of four, led by senior associate Alicja Zalewska. The team is based permanently in Warsaw and manages the EU trade marks and design practice, which has been operating since March 2019.

Alicja is a qualified advocate with experience representing clients on litigation before Polish civil, administrative and criminal courts, the EU General Court as well as in trade mark and design proceedings before EUIPO, WIPO and the Polish IPO. Prior to joining CMS, Alicja worked at the EUIPO Board of Appeal and as an EUIPO opposition and cancellation examiner. Alicja continues her work with EUIPO through her role as a quality auditor of the EUIPO decisions and on INTA’s EUIPO Committee.

Sarah Wright, CMS’s Head of IP in the UK comments: “CMS is one of the largest users of the EU trade mark system, and European trade mark work is at the heart of our IP practice. We decided to use Brexit to seize the opportunity to set up a specialist team in Warsaw who can help us continue to represent our clients before the EUIPO following the UK’s departure from the EU. We are delighted to have found such a talented team in Warsaw who together with our existing colleagues across CEE will help us to grow and strengthen our IP practice further.”

Tomasz Koryzma, head of the IP practice at CMS Poland comments: “I am very glad we could share our knowledge about the Polish market and assist our EU trade mark and design practice to expand ahead of Brexit. We are now looking forward to building together an even stronger brand for CMS in the trade mark world globally and in CEE.”

Andrzej Pośniak, Managing Partner of CMS in Poland adds: “The Polish market offers very well-educated lawyers, offering top notch client service alongside business acumen. We are delighted the EU trade marks and design team in the UK chose to relocate their practice to Poland”.