Mr Alex Shiel > Ward Hadaway LLP > Newcastle upon Tyne, England > Lawyer Profile

Mr Alex Shiel

Work Department

Commercial

Position

Partner, Head of IP/IT

Career

Alex is head of the Intellectual Property and Information Technology (IP/IT) team at Ward Hadaway and helps clients to protect, develop, exploit and enforce their ideas and new technology.

This is done by using intellectual property rights, commercial agreements such as research and development contracts, technology licences and collaboration agreements and, in the case of disputes, through taking or defending court action.

Alex also works with clients who supply or purchase IT systems, develop or license software, do business over the internet and work in the creative industries, such as creating Apps, games, multimedia content and websites.

He is responsible for the supervision and management of the dedicated trademark and design registration and management service, which is run by the unit.

An increasing area of Alex’s work involves acting for creative industries businesses, in particular in the fashion, digital media, film and publishing industries.

Alex has over 20 years’ experience of advising clients of all sizes in all aspects of intellectual property and information technology.

He advises a number of multi-national companies, plcs and public sector bodies and has a wide expertise in handling complex transactions, including research and development contracts, IT systems and telecoms agreements, technology licensing contracts and international collaboration agreements.

He acts for start-ups and spin-out businesses. He has acted for the University of Newcastle upon Tyne in connection with the spinning out of a number of new companies.

Alex provides business support and mentoring advice to start-up companies which are supported through programs run by organisations such as Teesside University’s launchpad, Digital Union and Newcastle University’s Rise Up.

He has a particular specialism in dealing with trade mark and branding issues and acts for several well known brands. His work includes advising on strategic brand management, international protection of brands and trade mark opposition and infringement proceedings.

Clients include Wilkinson Sword, SCS Sofas, Imperial Pharmaceuticals, PD Ports and the University of Newcastle.