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Our team comprises lawyers from RT Coopers, patent attorneys, accountants and consultants from the biosciences, chemical sciences, information technology security, legal, business consultancy and pharmaceutical sectors. We assemble the right team for a job, which may include lawyers forming part of our global network.
Key members of our UK legal team include:
Dr Rosanna Cooper BSc (Hons); CSci CChem MRSC; CChem FRSC; Dip Intellectual Property Law and Practice (Bristol); Solicitor; Attorney-at-Law
Dr Cooper is global head of RT Coopers. She specialises in intellectual property (IP), life sciences and pharmaceuticals, technology transfer, regulatory law, clinical trials and data protection. Dr Cooper is highly regarded as a leading expert in regulatory law, pharmaceuticals and IP. Dr Cooper was a partner in a West End firm in London and a senior lawyer in the City of London before establishing RT Coopers. Dr Cooper studied for her Ph.D. in organic and medicinal chemistry at Kings College, University of London and pursued her postdoctoral research with SmithKline Beecham (now GlaxoSmithKline). She later worked as a senior pharmaceutical and paper chemist for Eli Lilly and Hercules respectively. Dr Cooper is head of the intellectual property and technology department.
Dr Cooper has over 17 years' experience advising clients on corporate and commercial law including IP in relation to a range of industry sectors including, media & entertainment, healthcare, life sciences and pharmaceuticals, generic drugs, manufacturing, travel, financial services, food & drink, sports and leisure industries. Her role also extends to drafting, advising and negotiating commercial contracts, licences, joint ventures, collaborations, mergers and acquisitions especially the intellectual property and IT aspects of such corporate transactions. She also advises on regulatory law and clinical trials and conducts technical and legal due diligence for investors. Dr Cooper advises start-ups, universities, spinout companies, small to medium sized enterprises and corporate clients.
Memberships: Dr Cooper is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) and a Chartered Scientist, an associate member of the Chartered Institute of Patent Agents (CIPA) and the Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys, an ex member of the International Editorial Board for the Pharmaceutical Development and Regulatory Journal. A non executive member of the Advisory Panel for The Thames Valley Life Science Network. She is an accomplished International speaker and writes regularly on intellectual property law, pharmaceuticals and data protection.
Past Employers: Lovell White Durrant (Trainee), Dechert (then Titmus Sainer Dechert), Field Fisher Waterhouse and Barlow Lyde & Gilbert
Carolyn Arnold BsocSc; LLB (University of Natal - South Africa); Diploma in Sports Law (Kings College University of London).
Carolyn is a qualified senior solicitor focusing on sports law and commercial contracts. Carolyn is able to advise clients in both England and South Africa. Before joining RT Coopers as a consultant, she advised and assisted a football club in relation to their legal matters. She is an experienced negotiator, some of her experience includes drafting, and advising the football club on commercial contracts including sponsorship agreements, employment contracts, catering contracts, consultancy agreements, venue hire agreements and endorsement agreements.
Membership: South African Bar
Matthew Schrader
Matthew Schrader acts as a consultant to RT Coopers. He has 4 years experience advising clients on Information Technology Law, Intellectual Property Law and Commercial Law. He has worked with a number of companies specialising in computing, software development/maintenance and web based solutions, media and communications. He has assisted in advising software companies, web development companies and their clients on both contentious and non-contentious matters. In addition, he has extensive experience in Intellectual Property Law and Commercial Law, and has assisted RT Coopers on numerous projects in the past, including technology transfer, spin-out agreements and general commercial practice.
Membership: Solicitors Regulation Authority
Claudette Joseph LLB (Hons), Attorney at Law.
Claudette acts as a consultant to the firm. She is an intellectual property expert with considerable experience in commercial law including litigation, contract drafting, trade marks and copyright. She was the Deputy Registrar of the High Court of Grenada where she dealt primarily with the registration of foreign companies.
Membership: Bar Association
Ian Sandy LLB (Hons), Attorney at Law.
Ian acts as a consultant to the firm. Ian has considerable experience in commercial law, which he gained when he worked as a senior lawyer with one of the leading firms in the British Virgin Islands. His areas of expertise include commercial law including commercial litigation , banking and company law and property law.
Membership: Bar Association
Tariq Sayfoo LLB (Hons)
Tariq is a paralegal at RT Coopers. He is particularly interested in intellectual property and commercial law having attained Distinctions during his LPC. Since joining us he has gained a breadth of experience in life sciences and pharmaceuticals, media and entertainment, data protection, intellectual property and corporate and commercial matters. In particular his experience includes, marketing authorisations, collaboration agreements, producers agreements, recording contracts, preparing due diligence questionnaires, commercial contracts (including tendering for service contracts), shareholders agreements, data controller agreements, data sharing agreements, privacy policies, and website terms and conditions.
Some of the key skills that Tariq has built upon since joining RT Coopers include drafting and legal writing (legal opinions, general correspondence, letter before action). He has also liaised directly with clients, organisations such as the MOD and regulatory authorities such as the MHRA, FHSAA, VMD and IPO. Tariq also contributes to the firm’s marketing initiatives by preparing legal updates and case summations for display on the firm’s website. Tariq has gained international experience at leading firms in Mauritius and speaks French and Creole.
Membership: Solicitors Regulation Authority
Roya Zohrabi BSc (Hons)
Roya has recently joined RT Coopers as a paralegal. She holds a First Class Honours degree in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Essex, as well a year’s experience doing her MPhil conducting innovative research for Parkinson’s UK. Roya is currently studying for a GDL/CPE at the College of Law, Guildford. She is particularly interested in pharmaceutical law, intellectual property, commercial law and corporate finance. In the short time that she has been working for us, she has gained a breadth of experience in pharmaceutical and life sciences law, upon which she is constantly expanding. Some of the key skills Roya is bringing to RT Coopers include her extensive knowledge of pharmaceutical companies and the ethical issues faced by this industry. She has contributed to the preparation of presentations for national conferences and articles and continues to support the progression of client work and engage in legal marketing while working with us
Key members of our US and Canadian legal team include:
Kelley M. Gilbert, JD BS
Kelley is a partner at RT Coopers LLP specialising in intellectual property in a range of industry sectors including media and entertainment, information technology, life sciences and pharmaceuticals. Kelley has a technical degree in Computer Information Systems from Hampton University, and a J.D. from The John Marshall Law School. Kelley developed international intellectual property, life sciences and pharmaceuticals law experience by working in London for RT Coopers Solicitors. Kelley further gained experience working for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company in Hsinchu, Taiwan in the IP Division. While working in Taiwan, Kelley worked on the acquisition of patent portfolios and international licensing agreements. In January 2008, Kelley joined RT Coopers LLP as a partner in Chicago, IL.
Kelley’s experience includes drafting and negotiating commercial contracts including joint ventures, collaborative agreements, shareholders agreements, Internet contracts, cross border corporate transactions, International licensing agreements, patent evaluations and opinions, trade mark filing and prosecutions, intellectual property in relation to a range of industry sectors including media & entertainment, life sciences and pharmaceuticals.
Membership: Illinois State Bar; American Intellectual Property Law Association; Chicago Bar Association – International Copyright Committee; Illinois Bar Association
Elliott C. Bankendorf, Counsel at McCracken Frank LLP (McCracken Frank LLP is an Associate of RT Coopers in Chicago).
Elliott advises a wide array of businesses, large and small, rely on Elliott to handle their intellectual property needs. Elliott specialises in trade mark development, prosecution, protection against infringements, licensure, portfolio management, new mark clearance and transfers for companies in the US and internationally. He is the former Chief Intellectual Property Counsel for the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association in Chicago, and was a partner in the former Chicago IP law boutique firm of Welsh & Katz, Ltd.
Elliot brings to his work a deep understanding of clients’ needs for timeliness, open communication and cost-effectiveness. His successful major assignments include International trade mark portfolio management matters for an international commercial cleaning and facilities management company, a health insurance provider and a pharmaceutical manufacturer. He has handled trade mark prosecution and enforcement and has participated in trade mark litigation to defend IP assets for many companies and has advised on the acquisition of intellectual property assets in corporate combinations. Elliott also has represented both US and international companies in hearings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board of the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Elliott has extensive international relationships with intellectual property professionals throughout the world and has facilitated international filing programs and trade mark litigation in multiple countries. A Certified Public Accountant, Elliott has completed advanced coursework in trade marks at John Marshall Law School. He has made presentations to the International Trademark Association and the Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago on trademark law and was the principal draftsman for the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Associations’ Service Mark Use Manual. Elliott has published articles on trademark law in professional journals.
In the area of trade mark law, Elliott has regularly been named an Illinois Leading Lawyer and an Illinois Super Lawyer by the decision of his peers.
Membership: Illinois Legal Needs Task Force, Illinois State Bar Association, Chicago Bar Association – Chair of the Corporate Law Departments Committee, International Trademark Association – served on the Board of Directors and 2010 program committee, finance committee and audit subcommittee, international committee, meetings committee, member services committee and mediation committee Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago, Member of the International and US Trademark committees; Chair of the US trademark committee
John L. Ambrogi, Partner at McCracken Frank LLP (McCracken Frank LLP is an Associate of RT Coopers in Chicago).
John has been handling the intellectual property legal needs of clients for over nineteen years. John has honed his skills through his direct experience in protecting, evaluating, enforcing, and defending intellectual property rights secured by patents, trade marks, copyrights, and trade secrets, both domestically and internationally.
John has served as a co-trial attorney on patent infringement, trade mark infringement, breach of contract, and trade secret trials, in addition to handling preliminary injunction and TRO hearings for trade mark infringement, trade secret, and breach of non-compete agreement matters. He is involved in the design of trial strategies, consults with clients on risk assessments, and directly counsels clients throughout litigation matters, including settlement negotiations. His additional litigation experience includes domain name disputes, as well as opposition and cancellation practice before the U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.
On the transactional side, John handles matters involving patents, trade marks, copyrights, licensing, E-Commerce, IP audits/transfers, IP clearance and opinion letters, trade secret and domain name matters. John has experience managing intellectual property portfolios, as well as, performing intellectual property evaluation, due diligence and assessments as these relate to business ventures and financing arrangements. He negotiates and drafts a wide variety of intellectual property related agreements, including letters of intent, informational services (software licenses, hardware purchases, and telecommunications), consulting, non-disclosure, employment related contracts, E-Commerce, and the sale of IP.
John's experience also includes working with clients to design business development strategies and assist in the negotiation of agreements covering various business ventures, including venture capital arrangements and business mergers and acquisitions as they relate to intellectual property.
Membership: Illinois State Bar Association, Intellectual Property Association of Chicago, International Trademark Association (Design Rights & Related Rights Committee), International Visitors Club of Chicago – Member of Board of Directors - President, International Trade Club of Chicago, Italian-American Chamber of Commerce, Chicago, Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans, Justinian Society of Lawyers, National Italian American Foundation, National Italian American Bar Association, Rotary Club of Elmhurst – President, Columbian Club of Chicago
Courtney Betty, Attorney at Law.
Courtney Betty is a consultant to RT Coopers. He is the senior partner of My Justice Law, and one of the founding members. He is a member of the Bar in Canada. Mr. Betty has over 16 years experience within the legal, regulatory and business environment. Mr. Betty began his legal career with the Department of Justice-Canada, by prosecuting Tax, Commercial and Civil cases on behalf of the Government of Canada.
He successfully represented the government of Canada in over 200 cases before the federal court of appeal. He later served as Senior Legal Counsel with focus on the deregulation of telecommunications. Mr. Betty continues to focus on telecommunications law as an advisor with prime responsibility for AT&T Wireless (Cingular), as well as on various initiatives with both private and public sectors within the Caribbean and North America. Mr. Betty has always played a key role in making legal information available to the general public. Mr. Betty has also served as Associate Professor in Constitutional Law at University level.
Membership: Bar Association Canada
Lesley Gool - JD BA
Lesley Gool is a consultant to RT Coopers LLP. Lesley received a Juris Doctorate from The John Marshall Law School in 2007. She is currently an Assistant States Attorney in the Office of Cook County and has more than 2 years of trial and appellate experience combined. In addition, Lesley has experience in a broad range of corporate matters, including business entity formation, trademark infringement, employer trade secrets, contract negotiations and commercial real estate. Lesley’s commercial real estate practice includes representing real estate developers with the acquisition, disposition and development of improved and unimproved real property.
Prior to becoming an Assistant States Attorney, Lesley was a law clerk for the Honorable Justice P. Scott Neville in the Appellate Court of Illinois, First District.
Membership: Illinois State Bar; American Intellectual Property Law Association; Chicago Bar Association; Illinois State Bar Association
Key members of our business/commercial team include:
Susanna Corbin BSc (Hons); MBA; Chartered Accountant (ACCA); FCCA
Susanna Corbin BSc (Hons); MBA; Chartered Accountant (ACCA); FCCA Susanna acts as marketing/business consultant to the firm and is responsible for business development for the Caribbean Region. She is a qualified accountant with several years progressive experience in the areas of auditing; accounting; finance; information technology and project management. She holds an MBA from Manchester Business School. She currently consults in the areas of Business Development and Effectiveness assisting organisations with Investing and Financing Decision Making as well as Financial Management. She has also developed substantial expertise in the regulatory requirements governing the financial services sector, while based in the Cayman Islands.
She was previously employed by Cable & Wireless (C&W) where she was involved in a range of activities, which included implementing and supporting financial systems through-out the Caribbean; project management and mana gement accounting. One of her most significant achievements was preparing the C&W group for the January 1997 introduction of a Value Added Tax (VAT) System by the government of Barbados. She is skilled in corporate and business planning, project management and has the ability to develop innovative, workable and cost effective solutions. She provides leadership, motivation, decisiveness and strategic direction through the use of good communication and excellent interpersonal skills.
Membership: Fellow of the Institute of Accounts
Jenny Cooper HND; Teacher's Senior Certificate; MCMI; SRH
Jenny Cooper is the practice manager for the firm. She was recently appointed by the firm as the Compliance Officer for Finance Administration ("COFA") and Compliance Officer for Legal Practice ("COLP"). In her role as the firm's COPA and COFA, she has to ensure that the firm remains compliant under the SRA rules and the law.
As practice manager of the firm, she is responsible for money laundering compliance, ensuring that all the firm's internal processes and procedures are complied with and the smooth running of the firm. Jenny brings a wealth of experience to RT Coopers. She has successfully run her own business for the last 25 years. In her previous roles she was responsible for International Computers Limited Catering as Area Manager where she was responsible for managing 20 units across the UK including, managing over 400 staff and 20 managers. She started off her career as a teacher.
She has experience in negotiating with individuals and trade unions, experience in mentoring, advising start-ups on starting and sustaining their business (through Acorn House, Croydon), sales management, purchasing, analysing and preparing budgets, cash flow forecasts, setting and achieving targets and analysing accounts. She is an accomplished public speaker and has successfully completed Management courses in interviewing, counselling, image building, appraising staff and personal development.
Past Memberships: Jenny has held some strategic positions including, past Chairman of and Regional Spokesperson for the Chartered Management Institute (formerly the Institute of Management, Croydon); Chairman of Croydon Education and Business Partnership; Member of the Strategic Development Forum, Croydon Council; Member of the Croydon and South London Chamber of Commerce and Member of the Ethnic Minority Forum and Disciplinary Committee I.M.
Membership: Chartered Management Institute
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