William Fry has a solid IP practice that has strengthened its reputation over the previous few years. The team of five partners and one associate as well as support staff is dedicated to IP work only, where some competitors are spread across different practice areas. Seven attorneys are registered Irish and European trade mark and design agents, who manage domestic and international portfolios for their clients. The office at Wilton Place in Dublin has a formal relationship with Tughans Solicitors – the biggest law firm in Northern Ireland.
The size of William Fry as a commercial law firm is reflected in the clients that it brings into the IP work, including Nina Divito, Shakespeare Puttsman and AstraZeneca. For the latter, Carol Plunkett, Ann Henry and Helena Walsh have been advising since August 2010 on a patent infringement action relating to the drug Nexium. As the world's third biggest drug, Nexium holds great commercial importance for AstraZeneca and Ireland has become the focus of litigation across several countries, partly because of the thoroughness and speed of the new Commercial Court.