Shoosmiths hires patent litigator specialising in life sciences

Graham Burnett-Hall (53) has joined UK law firm Shoosmiths as a partner in its IP team. Burnett-Hall’s experience in life sciences will boost Shoosmith’s focus in this sector, which is one of three areas the firm has in its crosshairs for growth.

Graham Burnett-Hall

Twenty years at Marks & Clerk

Burnett-Hall studied chemistry at Oxford University. He qualified as a solicitor in 1998, having began his career at what was then Lovells, now Hogan Lovells, where he spent six years. In 2002 he qualified as a solicitor-advocate and, following a five-month stint in-house at a major foodservice company, he joined Marks & Clerk in 2003. Prior to his move to Shoosmiths, Burnett-Hall had spent just over two decades at the firm.

Graham Burnett-Hall says, “I had been at Marks & Clerk for twenty years and greatly enjoyed growing the legal practice there but I was ready for a new opportunity.”

“When Shoosmiths explained their strategy to me which, in brief, is to establish the firm as a leader its chosen market sectors, I was immediately attracted to fit that strategy with my existing practice and excited by the prospect of being able to play a leading role in delivering on the Shoosmiths strategy.”

Burnett-Hall’s scientific background means he is well-positioned for work on patent cases concerning pharma and biotech. Throughout his career, he has acted for big-name clients such as Roche, Meril and Sun Pharma.

Big names in pharma

His previous firm Marks & Clerk advises high-profile clients in pharmaceuticals, mainly originator drug manufacturers, and medical devices. The litigation practice has particularly close ties to Pfizer. During his time at the firm, Burnett-Hall was one of the leading partners that represented Pfizer in its multi-patent, multi-jurisdictional dispute with GSK concerning RSV vaccines before the UK courts.

Burnett-Hall also advised an Indian heart-valve manufacturer concerning its EPO oppositions and in pan-European patent disputes, as well as a UK medical device company on conducting patent proceedings in China.

Other major clients of Marks & Clerk in the life sciences space include Meril Life Sciences and Gilead. The market holds both the firm’s prosecution and litigation teams in high regard for such disputes. Following Burnett-Hall’s departure, the firm’s patent practice now has 51 patent partners across Europe.

Three targets for Shoosmiths

Shoosmiths has 13 offices across the UK and an office in Brussels. With the arrival last year of partner Antony Craggs, Burnett-Hall’s move to Shoosmiths brings the firm’s IP team up to four partners. Craggs focuses on patent, trademarks and design litigation. As a whole, the IP team specialises in patent litigation across all technologies.

Andrew Brennan, head of IP at Shoosmiths, says of Burnett-Hall’s arrival, “His extensive experience and strategic vision align perfectly with our ambitions to excel in key sectors and establish ourselves as a leading intellectual property practice.”

According to a press release, Shoosmiths has set its sights on three core areas of IP: technology, life sciences and brands. The firm intends to build up these areas by 2030, with its hire of Burnett-Hall thus aligning with this strategy.