Sarah Hadland

Director

Having trained at Bird & Bird and worked at Eversheds (now Eversheds Sutherland) in the City of London for a decade, Sarah has, over 25 years, established a leading IP practice acting for a number of high-profile clients including Gü Desserts, Ty Inc (the makers of Beanie Babies) and Next Retail Ltd, as well as smaller businesses and individual designers.

Sarah advises on the protection of a wide range of IP rights through dispute resolution, civil litigation in the High Court and Intellectual Property Enterprise Court, criminal matters such as counterfeiting and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs seizures, and trademark and design right portfolio management. She has designed enforcement processes and worked with companies managing enforcement for copyright in visual content. She also assists clients in the negotiation and drafting of agreements including development, maintenance and licensing of software, global licensing of IP rights and publishing and merchandising contracts. Her notable cases include Teleworks Limited v Telework Group, Gucci v Next Retail and Unilever Plc v General Housewares Corp, and clients have said that “she seems to know instinctively when to fight and when to settle” (ILO Client Choice Awards 2013).

Sarah has acquired a significant reputation in IP law focusing on design rights, trademarks, copyright and confidentiality. She is listed in both The Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners as a leading individual who “continues to command the respect of peers and clients”. She is known for determination in solving even the knottiest disputes and is praised for efficiency in driving to the positive result for the client. One client enthused: “It’s great to have someone like Sarah – you can have complete faith in everything you need to have faith in: her judgement, her acumen and her ability to get a good result” (Chambers and Partners).

She has been awarded the 2021 Lawyer Monthly Women in Law Award for copyright, and she is a member of the Chartered Institute of Trademark Attorneys.

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Sarah