Harrison Goddard Foote acquires rival

YORKSHIRE patent and trade mark attorneys Harrison Goddard Foote have acquired London firm Grant Spencer.

The two firms will come together under the new HGF Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys brand and have offices in Aberdeen, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London, Manchester, Oxford, Sheffield and York with its head office in Leeds.

Grant Spencer, previously known as Grant Spencer Caisley & Porteous, is run by Claire Hutchinson and has been specialising in trade mark and design protection and enforcement since 1974 with clients ranging from major multinationals to UK SMEs.

HGF advises on all aspects of intellectual property including invention identification, branding, patent and trade mark filing and prosecution, design registration, and portfolio creation and management, licensing, litigation and dispute resolution.

Paul Sanderson, chief executive of HGF Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys said: “We are delighted that Grant Spencer and HGF have joined forces. Claire Hutchinson has a great reputation and her client base is an excellent fit with HGF.”

David Potter, HGF’s head of trade marks added: “We have further strengthened HGF’s position as one of the top IP firms in the country across all business sectors.  The HGF Trade Mark Group is already extremely successful nationally and internationally.  We provide the highest level commercial advice and with Claire Hutchinson and her team, we can build further on this existing platform.”

Claire Hutchinson commented: “HGF is one of the largest and fastest growing intellectual property specialists in the UK. This growth stems from its proactive approach and understanding of its clients’ business needs. Together with the outstanding technical expertise and business experience of its attorneys, HGF provides its worldwide clients with an unrivalled intellectual property service. I am delighted to be joining forces with such a leading firm and I am looking forward to contributing to the firm’s continued growth as it confirms its position as a leader in the intellectual property market.”