Kate Swaine
I am a director in the Intellectual Property team and specialise in brand and design protection, clearance and enforcement.
Tel: +44 (0)121 685 2982
Email: kate_swaine@wragge.com
Services: Intellectual Property
Business sectors: Food and Drink, Retail, Aviation
Best brains in...
Advising clients on how to get the most from their brands and designs. I work with my clients from the very beginning of the brand or design process to minimise risk, maximise the potential of their intellectual property rights and prevent others from encroaching on those rights. I also have expertise in anti-counterfeiting work, both within the UK and internationally.
Highlight of your career so far?
The most gratifying was covering a client's much-needed holiday leave. I stepped into his shoes as head of legal at the last minute and dealt with all the day-to-day issues he faces. Not only did it give me a great insight into his role, it also meant I had a very happy client who returned to his desk without the usual mountain of queries and problems awaiting him!
Most challenging job you've ever done?
The Kingspan v Rockwool case required me to become an "expert" in EU regulations and directives, international and British standards and UK legislation governing fire safety. My client assured me that I have a future career as a fire safety officer!
What about outside the UK?
A great deal of my work has an international aspect, with many of my clients having operations in the US, Europe and the Far East. There is a constant need to ensure consistency in the approach to the client's IP portfolio regardless of which jurisdiction it is based in. At the moment I am co-ordinating enforcement issues with lawyers in Canada, Belgium, US, Hong Kong and Italy on behalf of a number of my clients.
Dedication to client care? Prove it!
One of my clients was "dropped in it" and told at very late notice that they had to give a presentation to their in-house marketing team on branding and advertising. After a panicked phone call to me I managed to provide them with a talk and PowerPoint presentation by the next morning. The result was a very relieved client and a marketing team that received a seamless presentation.When have you ever given a client a real competitive edge?
The best example is the work I do for one of my retail clients. I go to its premises every three to four months and sit down with the design team to review all of the new products in the pipeline, discuss clearance and look at the opportunities to protect the designs. It's great to be involved with the creative process and also means that I can flag up any issues early on for the client and prevent unnecessary expense further down the line.
What's your single greatest contribution to Wragge & Co's corporate responsibility?
I am taking part in the Edinburgh Moonwalk, a 26-mile power walk through Edinburgh wearing a sparkly bra to raise money for breast cancer. The walk starts at midnight and hopefully I will have completed it by breakfast.
What's been written or said about you that you're most proud of?
Antony Barratt at Birds Eye said, Kate "gets her head around the commercial issues of the business...she really talks the same language as the business"
