Laurence Julien-Raes, the former head of legal at Paris IP boutique Santarelli, has left for the local practice of DLA Piper to be the Head of Trade Mark Counselling. DLA Piper became one of the largest legal service providers in the world in 2005 through a merger of unprecedented scope in the legal sector.

Julien-Raes is launching, and leading, an EMEA trademarks department for the firm. She was the head of the legal and trademarks department of the patent and trademark attorney firm Santarelli, where she has practised since 1979. She also served as a member of the firm’s management committee. Santarelli shares with its clients -large companies, SMEs and individual entrepreneurs- its reputed IP skills and true values of collaboration: professional competence, adaptiveness, attentiveness, reactivity and motivation.

Julien-Raes was one of 12 partners at Santarelli. The new EMEA trademark offering falls under DLA Piper intellectual property and technology team, headed by Patrick Boiron in France. Patrick’s practice focuses on media & entertainment, copyright, IP & IT. Patrick has also been the leading partner in major M&A deals in the telecommunications field, as well as in the software and cable industry.

Boiron states: “Our network now has the capacity to respond to all client demands in terms of trademarks, from trademark filing and registration to handling litigation, including assisting them in all their activities around the world.”