Global law firm Dentons has strengthened its Intellectual Property and Technology (IP&T) and Life Sciences practices in France with the recruitment of partner Marianne Schaffner and her team including of counsel Pierre-Olivier Ally and associate Clémence Boland. The team joins from Dechert, where Schaffner headed the Intellectual Property Group in Paris and co-headed the Life Sciences Group.
Marianne Schaffner is a well-known patent litigation lawyer and is ranked as a top tier intellectual property lawyer in legal directories such as Chambers Europe, The Legal 500, and Best Lawyers. She is recognized for her knowledge of complex national and international trademarks in the healthcare, chemistry, technology and telecommunications sectors. She assists clients in negotiating intellectual property agreements and in evaluating their IP portfolios to strengthen their position in mergers and acquisitions, LBOs, financing transactions and initial public offerings.
Having studied and worked in the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands and the United States, she has extensive knowledge of both the European and American judicial systems.
Marianne began her career with Nataf & Fajgenbaum in 1997, before joining Cléry, de La Myre Mory & Monégier du Sorbier in 1998. She joined Linklaters in 2000 and became a partner in 2006. She moved to Dechert in 2012.
She headed the Editorial Committee of APRAM (Association of Trade Mark and Design Law Practitioners), and subsequently the Editorial Committee of the Commission of Regulated Sectors. She was also the co-head for the Life Sciences Committee of AIPPI (International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property).
Denis Voevodin, Head of the Europe IP&T group commented, ""Marianne's arrival within our IP&T team is a tremendous asset. Her experience in various jurisdictions will support Dentons' ability to help our clients in any country and always with the same high standard.”
David Masson, IP&T partner in Paris, added, ""We are delighted that Marianne and her team are joining us in Paris. This is a strong signal to our clients that our team is growing to better support them with their IP&T issues in France and abroad.”
Marianne Schaffner said, ""This is a great opportunity to join a truly global and highly reputable IP&T team, which offers clients quality advice anywhere in the world, while also offering the agility to adapt to local market needs.”
Dentons’ Intellectual Property and Technology team is a leader in the Parisian market. The group draws on the experience of more than 600 lawyers worldwide to assist clients with local and multi-jurisdictional IP matters such as patents, trademarks, copyright, unfair competition. The team also advises on IT issues including data protection, cyber security, software, and e-commerce.
""To celebrate the 40th anniversary of our Paris office, we have been reinforcing our established teams with top talent, to allow us to anticipate market developments and continue to offer the most innovative solutions to our clients,” said Marc Fornacciari, France Managing Partner. “The arrival of Marianne and her team complements our recent high profile hires in Energy, Real Estate and Banking and Finance.”
Dentons’ other recent lateral hires in Paris include partners Leila Hubeaut in Energy, Pascal Schmitz in Real Estate and Julien Bacus in Banking and Finance.