Eversheds secures former Sidley Austin IP and life sciences head

Eversheds LLP has appointed the former head of Sidley Austin LLP’s London IP and life sciences team Brett Rowland (pictured), as a partner.

Rowland is qualified in England and Australia, and has practised in IP and pharmaceutical regulatory law since 1991. He joins Eversheds’ London office.

Before joining Sidley Austin, he was a partner in the IP group at Hogan Lovells, and he recently completed a six-month secondment with Swiss pharmaceutical company Celgene International.

His practice covers contentious and non-contentious work with a focus on pharmaceuticals and biotechnology.

During his career he has handled actions involving patents and branding at the English High Court and Court of Appeal, as well as at the Australian Supreme Court and Federal Court.

“I look forward to joining the team and working collaboratively in order to grow the existing practice,” he said.

Eversheds’ head of IP and life sciences Simon Crossley said: “We’re delighted to have secured Brett, he’s a key strategic hire in an area where we are seeing significant international growth and opportunity.

“He will be joining a specialist team and his experience, particularly in the life sciences regulatory area, will be a tremendous asset to our clients.”

Bill Gilliam, head of the health and life sciences sector group at Eversheds, said: “Brett’s experience will be a great asset to the life sciences team as we continue to expand the scope of work we carry out for our pharma and life sciences clients. We look forward to welcoming him to the firm.”

Eversheds employs approximately 4,500 people in 44 offices in 26 countries around the world.