Michael is an Intellectual Property Associate in Manchester.
Background
Michael began a career in IP as a paralegal in February 2020, when he helped to establish the IP team at JMW’s then-recently opened London office. The IP team has now grown to such a size where we operate from both the London and Manchester offices and assist clients across the UK and abroad.
Michael started his Training Contract at JMW in March 2021 and qualified into the IP team as a Solicitor in March 2023 in London before relocating to the Manchester office in March 2024 and becoming an Associate in May 2025.
Expertise
Michael has experience in relation to a wide range of IP matters, such as:
- Trade marks
- Passing off
- Copyright
- Design rights
- Patents
- IP audit reports
- IP agreements such as licences, assignments and co-existence
- Breach of confidence
Michael’s main area of work so far has been trade mark dispute resolution, where he has assisted clients in various sectors, such as e-cigarettes (including achieving settlement on behalf of the defendants in a High Court claim valued at £10m+), cryptocurrencies, energy, aerospace engineering, recruitment, investment funds, education, restaurants etc, in pursuing or defending legal actions. These disputes are often complex and involve overseas parties, and are usually issued in the High Court or IPEC. Michael also assists clients in dealing with trade mark opposition and cancellation proceedings in the UK IPO tribunal section.
Michael enjoys assisting clients on a variety of non-contentious matters, including filing trade marks in the UK and overseas as part of JMW’s IP portfolio management service, drafting IP agreements, providing bespoke advice on all IP rights and conducting IP audits for businesses of all sizes.
Publications
Michael has been published in LexisNexis discussing the gin bottle design dispute between M&S and Aldi and in Lexology discussing breach of confidence in the travel consultancy sector. He publishes blogs and updates on our website and LinkedIn.
Events
In June 2024, Michael spoke on a panel at Climb24 in Leeds to entrepreneurs, investors and business leaders on the topic of The Business of Creativity: Navigating IP Commercialisation in Creative Ventures.
Academics
Michael graduated from the University of Manchester in 2017 with a first class law degree. In 2018, he completed the Legal Practice Course at BPP University with a distinction, with electives in Commercial Law and Intellectual Property and Advanced Commercial Litigation.
In 2023-24, to further develop his knowledge of IP, Michael attended the Postgraduate Diploma in IP Law and Practice at the University of Oxford, achieving a Merit.
Personal interests
Outside of work, Michael enjoys travelling and playing football.