Partner Joins Law Firm To Develop Commercial Intellectual Property

This month we welcomed partner Selina Hinchliffe to lead its East Midlands and South Yorkshire commercial intellectual property (IP) team.

Selina specialises in transactional and advisory IP matters, including drafting and negotiating a range of agreements such as innovation R&D, sponsorship, merchandise and publishing agreements. She also advises on IP strategy and policy, regularly working on the IP aspects of wider commercial deals, corporate transactions and joint ventures.

With more than 16 years’ post-qualified experience, Selina has joined us after almost seven years as a partner at Browne Jacobson. Prior to this, she spent more than 11 years at Eversheds Sutherland, working her way up from associate to principal associate.

In her new role, Selina will lead the commercial IP offering in the East Midlands and South Yorkshire across our Nottingham, Lincoln, Leicester and Sheffield hubs, supporting the growth of our offerings nationally.

Selina said: “I am really excited to be joining a well-respected law firm in order to help grow, develop and bolster its IP and commercial function in the East Midlands and South Yorkshire.

Selina has spent the majority of her career advising clients in the education, energy and TMT sectors. More recently, she has supported a top UK university on the licensing of its emission-cutting technology; a major international utilities provider on patentable technology developed and used in its offshore wind farms; and a successful YouTuber and influencer on their merchandise deals.

She said: “IP is a great area of law as it allows you to mix with a very diverse client base, always be looking at something new and creative, and you also get to see your work in everyday life.

“I’m a real people person so I love getting out in the market and getting to know clients, which also goes hand in hand with my passion for growing and developing teams; I like to see individuals achieving their potential and getting what they want from their own careers. That’s really fulfilling for me and gives me great job satisfaction.”

We are proactively seeking talented people to join the firm on its growth journey, including mergers, team recruitment and lateral hires nationally. Selina’s appointment is the latest in a string of new partner hires as part of our growth strategy, broadening our footprint both north and south.

Nicholas Briggs, partner and head of the Commercial and Intellectual Property team said: “We are delighted to welcome Selina to the firm; her technical knowledge and broad experience will be a real asset to our team as we look to grow our intellectual property offering and cement our reputation in the East Midlands and South Yorkshire.”

Who are Shakespeare Martineau?

We are a multi-award-winning business that provides legal advice for life and business, the firm’s purpose is clear: to unlock potential.

Working with organisations of all sizes, the firm delivers a broad range of specialist legal services and has expertise across multiple areas including but not limited to energy, education, banking and finance, healthcare, investment funds, manufacturing, agriculture, family business, Islamic finance, later living, social housing, charities, and real estate. We also provides services for families and private clients.

Part of the legal and professional services group Ampa, we are a certified B Corporation, meaning it has been verified by B Lab to meet high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability.

We have been listed in Best Companies 2022 as one of the top 100 best large companies to work for in the UK and ranked as a top 25 law firm, top 75 East Midlands company, top 75 West Midlands company, and top 50 large London company to work for.

With more than 1,200 people, we have hubs in London, Milton Keynes, Birmingham, Solihull, Stratford-upon-Avon, Bristol, Nottingham, Leicester, Lincoln, Sheffield, and Edinburgh.

“Shakespeare Martineau has an excellent reputation and a strong presence in the regions. I feel privileged to be joining a fantastic team and I am looking forward to helping to strengthen our offering as part of the firm’s wider strategy.”