Hogan Lovells puts mental wellness front of mind… HSF takes defensive Brexit move for German, Korean practices…
Gowling WLG can now offer direct trademark filing in China
The Intellectual Property capabilities of Gowling WLG in China has been enhanced by the addition of a direct trademark filing licence.
The approval of the licence means that the firm becomes one of the first wholly foreign-owned law offices to offer direct filing of trademark applications in China without involving a local firm.
"The direct filing licence is crucial as we can now act for our clients throughout the IP journey without having to rely on external local firms", said Dr Jian Xu, Beijing office Managing Director. "So far, the licence has only been approved for a few foreign firms, meaning that we are at the forefront of the trademarks market and able to give our clients the added benefit of only using one firm throughout the process".
Hogan Lovells puts mental wellness front of mind
Global firm Hogan Lovells has launched a new platform designed to help staff track and manage their mental wellbeing over time.
In partnership with mental health platform Unmind, the resource is part of the firm’s HL Thrive global wellbeing strategy and aims to help with issues such as sleep, nutrition, and stress.
Providing our people with the right tools at the right time enables them to maintain good mental health practices and prevent ill health, which is fundamental for overall wellbeing and productivity,” said Head of Diversity, Inclusion & Wellbeing, Julie Thomas. “This is part of our wider global commitment to create a workplace environment where everyone can thrive, and ensuring we are a firm fit for the future."
It has been launched this week initially for those in the firm’s Amsterdam, Birmingham, Brussels, London, and Tokyo offices, but it’s planned to be rolled out to other offices later in the year.
HSF takes defensive Brexit move for German, Korean practices
Herbert Smith Freehills has moved the business of its German LLP to its UK equivalent ahead of Brexit, the Law Society Gazette has reported.
With the UK leaving the EU at the end of January, operating as an English company domiciled in Germany would not be an option.
Additionally, the report says, the firm has moved the South Korean arm of its business into the Australian partnership under the Australia-Korea free trade agreement. It has been part of the EU-Korean trade agreement.
