Deacons saw the retirement of former head of practice Lindsay Esler at the end of 2010, but commentators believe this has had a limited affect on the local IP firm. "It has still got very good people behind Lindsay," notes a peer. Succeeding Esler to lead the team is Christopher Britton, whose practice focuses on litigation. Other key members include heavyweight litigator Charmaine Koo, trade mark specialists Rodney Goh and Patsy Lau, and Annie Tsoi who is in charge of the China IP practice.
A clear leader in the market, Deacons' prosecution and contentious practices are both first-rate. The firm employs six patent attorneys and is able to give substantial patent advice and undertake actual drafting work. The firm has the largest trade mark portfolio in the SAR and is consistently top of the filing numbers published by the Hong Kong IP Department. Many renowned corporations have sought advice from the team on litigation matters in the past year; most of them involve groundbreaking and highly complex issues.
"Deacons has been excellent for us," says a client. "It has been responsive and it communicates well. It is good with utility patent law and it keeps us updated on the laws. The lawyers are very personable."