Five promotions for attorneys at Forresters

Leading intellectual property firm Forresters has made five promotions across its team of patent and trade mark attorneys.

Dan Rusby-Gale and Emma Johnson have both been made equity partners, Jack Gunning and James Cornford are now partners at the firm while Greg Smith has been promoted to senior associate.

Dan Rusby-Gale works at the London office, which recently moved to one of city’s most iconic buildings – The Gherkin. He joined Forresters as a trainee and worked his way up within the firm, focusing on patents for electro-mechanical inventions. He said: “I’m thrilled to receive this promotion to equity partner, which will allow me to become more involved with the running of the business. Since I started at the company in 2003 I’ve seen Forresters advance and develop, and I’m looking forward to supporting the firm with further growth.”

Emma Johnson works at the Birmingham office and joined Forresters as a trainee 16 years ago. She said: “It’s exciting to receive this promotion to equity partner, which will see me taking on the position of liaising with the company’s equality and diversity group. This is something that is close to my heart as, even though the profession has plenty of female trainee patent attorneys, few of them become partners. I’m looking forward to ensuring that women’s voices are heard, and identifying and removing barriers which may prevent others from reaching their full potential.”

James Cornford works at the Southampton office, which has moved to new premises at Fair Oak. He said he has thoroughly enjoyed working in Hampshire, which is a ‘technology rich’ area. “These promotions are fantastic news because they are recognition of our experience and efforts for the firm,” said James. “My promotion to partner will see my involvement with the business increase, and I will get more involved in work behind the scenes, including joining various committees.”

Jack Gunning has also been promoted to the position of partner at the Birmingham office and said: “There are a lot of things that make working at Forresters excellent – but, of course, my clients and my colleagues are the most obvious.  I’m looking forward to continuing to develop my energy sector practice – with clients in oil & gas, electricity distribution, and a number of green technologies.”

Also based in Birmingham is Greg Smith, who said he is thrilled to be promoted to senior associate after joining Forresters in 2014 as a trainee. “One of the things I enjoy about working at Forresters is that everyone supports each other, and it’s a really friendly place,” he said. “We have great clients and a great team – it all goes together really nicely. I’m excited to receive this promotion which will give me the chance to work more independently.”

Forresters, which has offices in Birmingham, Liverpool, London, Munich and Southampton, was recognised as one of Europe’s Leading Patent Law Firms for 2020, in the prestigious Financial Times listing. The firm works with a wide variety of clients include businesses and individuals in engineering, pharmaceuticals, software, electronics, food and drink, sport and entertainment.

Matt Shaw, who recently took over as managing partner at Forresters, said the promotions recognise the significant performance and contribution each person has made to the continuous growth of the firm.

“After the challenges businesses have faced in the last year we are pleased to announce this positive news,” said Matt. “At Forresters we support and encourage every member of staff, helping each one develop and find their individual strengths through excellent training and opportunities. I would like to congratulate Dan, Emma, Jack, James and Greg on their well-deserved promotions, which recognise their achievements and the significant contribution they have made to Forresters and its clients. We wish them all continued success.”