Square One Law has announced a new, international appointment as it marks its fifth anniversary and an increase in turnover of 30 percent.
Helen Brain joins the Newcastle-based firm as a new commercial partner. The appointment sees her return from the United Arab Emirates, where she has been working for the Government of Dubai Legal Affairs Department with the Government Contracts and Agreements Directorate.
James Bryce, Head of the Corporate and Commercial Team at Square One Law, said: “Our continued success has been in our ability to attract and retain high calibre clients from the North East region and to win work on a national, and increasingly international platform. To do that, we’ve had to recruit and retain excellent people who understand how to use their commercial and legal knowledge to improve the client experience through responsiveness and service delivery.
“We are particularly delighted to welcome our new commercial partner, Helen Brain, who has an extremely impressive CV and the ability to advise at a local and global level.”
“The North East has a thriving technology and pharmaceuticals industry and we are seeing many of our clients become increasingly sophisticated buyers of IT. Helen’s skill set and unrivalled knowledge in this area will add another dimension to our commercial offering.
“It’s a great time for Helen to join us. We have recently promoted six of our senior associates to become partners and have ambitious plans for our future growth.”
Helen obtained a first class degree at Newcastle University, before qualifying as a barrister at one of the leading Intellectual Property (IP) chambers in London. She continued to specialise in IP and IT, working in London for K&L Gates, a leading global law firm, where she advised a variety of international household names.
More recently, Helen has advised on all kinds of commercial contracts and licensing agreements, including IP and software development agreements.
Helen said: “I was looking for a new challenge, and the next step in my career, so the move to Square One Law made perfect sense. I wanted to return to the region for personal reasons but without compromising my career. I was impressed by Square One Law’s client base and delighted to be offered the opportunity to help grow their commercial team. It’s incredibly exciting to be involved in such a progressive, forward thinking and rapidly growing business in the North East.”