Lauded for its ‘exceptional’ sector knowledge, the intellectual property team at Carson McDowell has a robust presence in Northern Ireland, particularly within the public sector, advising both Ulster University and Queen’s University Belfast on life sciences-related IP matters. Declan Magee and Dawn McKnight co-lead the team. Magee focuses on IP litigation, while McKnight is head of the non-contentious side and has extensive experience in negotiating complex IP contracts. Peter Guzhar maintains his reputation for being a go-to for copyright and patent infringement proceedings. Rounding out the team, Karla Dooey is singled out for her knowledge of brand protection and licensing issues, while Helen Cosgrove is regularly instructed in contentious IP matters.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Accolades
Client satisfaction
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Market leader by far.’
‘Sector knowledge and handling of clients is exceptional.’
‘The team has sufficient background in the sector we operate in and so can reason through our often esoteric requirements.’
‘The individuals I work with are very responsive and make a point of helping us to meet our deadlines. Timely turnaround in any deal is critical to success in what we do as a small business, and the person we generally work with has always gone the extra mile to help us achieve what we need to.’
‘Personal approach, knowledgeable, problem solvers, responsive.’
‘I'm doing a trade mark case for them now, and Peter Guzhar and Helen Cosgrove are completely on top of what it takes to win a case in Northern Ireland. They have good local knowledge, are good with clients, and turn things around quickly.’
Key clients
- Ulster University
- Innovation Ulster Limited
- Clearpool Limited
- Mountain Technologies Limited
- Eakin Healthcare
- Mediahuis Limited
- British Pepper & Spice Limited
- SHS Drinks Limited
- Sisaf Limited
- Queens University Belfast
Work highlights
Providing IP support services to Ulster University (UU) and its technology transfer arm, Innovation Ulster Limited.
Advising Clearpool Limited on the protection of the IPRs it holds in its tokenised multilateral trading facility when engaging with its various customers.
Advised Queen’s University on the IP issues relating to membership of the new Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre in Belfast, part of the City Deal Funding Project.
Lawyers
Hall of Fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Leading associates
Leading associates with regular involvement in their team's key work, and recognition from peers or clients as being ones to watch.
Helen Cosgrove
Karla Dooey
Practice head
Declan Magee; Dawn McKnight
Other key lawyers
Peter Guzhar; Karla Dooey; Helen Cosgrove