Gowling WLG is delighted to welcome back Rachel Armstrong to our Dubai office as a partner in our Global Intellectual Property (IP) team.
Rejoining the firm's leading team of 12 UAE-based IP professionals, led by partner Jon Parker, Rachel adds significant strength at a senior level. She returns after two years as senior legal counsel at the award-winning Dubai Future Foundation, where she led the IP strategy to support Dubai's vision of becoming one of the world's foremost future cities, as well as a leading tech and innovation centre.
Regarded as one of the region's foremost IP practitioners, Rachel was most recently recognised by Managing IP in their 2022 edition of "IP Ones to Watch". She is an experienced IP practitioner, advising clients on commercial IP matters, contentious IP matters, IP portfolio management, and IP strategies work across the MENA region and globally. Her work includes advising some of the world's most prominent companies, predominantly in the leisure, entertainment, fashion, e-commerce, technology and FMCG sectors, and more recently Government entities and research and development labs.
Rachel commented: "Following an invaluable two years spent as part of Dubai Future Foundation's award winning legal team, which included being part of the team during the launch Dubai's iconic Museum of the Future in 2022, I am thrilled to be rejoining Gowling WLG's MENA IP team as a partner. Having worked as part of the team previously and as instructing counsel over the last two years, I know first-hand the unparalleled expertise and client service Jon and the team offer its clients. I am looking forward to continuing to build on the team's fantastic success and ensuring the practice continues to go from strength to strength."
Jon Parker, head of Gowling WLG's MENA IP practice said: "I am delighted that Rachel is rejoining our UAE practice. Her return as a partner is a reflection of her hard work and dedication during the 10 years she has been practicing in the UAE. In Rachel, we will have the region's brightest and best young IP lawyer. The work she has been doing on government-level strategic IP work, together with the skills she will bring to our growing tech transfer and innovation practice, means we have an exciting time ahead of us for this fantastic team."
Tim Casben, managing partner of Gowling WLG UAE commented; "We are delighted to welcome Rachel back to the firm as a Partner, Rachel has broad IP commercial experience, as well as managing global IP portfolios, which compliments the existing practice. Rachel has the benefit of invaluable experience in-house at a time when our clients are increasingly looking to a more innovative approach to the delivery of legal services. It is a huge compliment to Jon and his team that Rachel chose to return to Gowling WLG. Rachel will be a great role model for our lawyers as they look to develop their careers. We are committed to building a diverse workforce in the UAE and continued investment in our core areas of IP, Corporate/Commercial, Technology and Projects and Infrastructure."
This latest hire follows the on-going growth of the UAE IP team and our UAE presence. In late 2022 Samantha Yung joined as a senior associate from Deacons in Hong Kong. She is a China qualified lawyer and brings with her experience of a wide range of IP matters as well as Mandarin and Cantonese language skills. Nart Nashko also joined as an experienced IP paralegal from a leading Dubai-based firm. Rachel's hire means the team has doubled in size in the past two years. The growth of the team reflects the demand from new and existing clients as their reputation as a leading IP firm in the region spreads.