Georgina Straughan

Georgina Straughan is a Senior Associate in Bird & Bird's London Intellectual Property Group, specialising in patent matters with a particular interest in the Life Sciences and Healthcare sector. Her practice focuses on Patent Law.

Having studied Natural Sciences (Biochemistry) at university before moving into law, she enjoys the technical aspects of IP and using her scientific background to better understand and advise on clients' innovations.

She has represented clients in patent and trade mark disputes before the High Court, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. She focuses on pharma, biotech and medical devices, but also has experience working through difficult legal issues in a whole range of areas, from automotive catalysts to football boots.

In the Life Sciences sector, it is rare for patent litigation to be limited to just the UK, so she regularly collaborates with colleagues from Bird & Bird's international offices, navigating the variations between different national courts and the Unified Patent Court in order to achieve clients' strategic goals. She is also experienced in coordinating cross-border litigation, including distilling information through the firm's Access and Fibonacci platforms to clients at their preferred level of detail.

In addition to litigation, she works with clients who are in the process of bringing products to market, for example, by assisting with research collaborations and providing freedom to operate opinions to support market entry decisions.

While at Bird & Bird, she has also spent time on secondment to an international pharmaceutical company, providing practical, business-focused legal advice on a variety of IP licensing and transactional matters. Beyond her practice, she is involved in Bird & Bird's CSR and D&I initiatives, for example, volunteering with legal advice clinics.