15 October 2019

Mathys & Squire expands European capabilities with Munich hire

We are delighted to announce the appointment of new partner Andreas Wietzke to our Munich office. See below the full news story published by JUVE Patent.

Mathys & Squire has announced the hire of Andreas Wietzke, a new partner for its Munich office. Wietzke joins the UK IP firm today, 15 October, around three months after it opened in the Bavarian capital. His move is the next step in a fresh continental strategy for Mathys & Squire.

Andreas Wietzke is a qualified patent attorney in Germany and Europe, and joins Mathys & Squire as a partner in its recently-opened Munich office. His expertise lies in prosecuting and enforcing patents. This is particularly in the fields of software and mechanical engineering.

The hire of Andreas Wietzke brings the total team number to five, and doubles the number of partners to two.

In July 2019, other Munich partner Gerold Fiesser led a team from Herzog Fiesser & Partner to the Mathys & Squire office in Germany. Giuditta Biagini, Lorraine Aleandri-Hachgenei and Kirstin Wenck joined Fiesser as associates.

Previously, Fiesser had been a founding partner at patent attorney firm Herzog Fiesser & Partner. “We want to establish Mathys & Squire as a truly European IP attorney firm,” says Fiesser. The German team has further plans to expand in the near future.

Wietzke joins Mathys & Squire from Munich-based patent attorney firm Bals & Vogel, which works in European and international cases. His departure leaves the firm with eight patent attorneys and four partners, two of whom are managing partners Rüdiger Bals and Andreas Vogel.

Andreas Wietzke had been considered by Mathys & Squire since before its expansion to Munich was announced. Currently, Bals & Vogel is taking steps to shift Wietzke’s cases to the firm’s remaining partners.

Brexit effect

Although the full-service IP firm already has a strong presence in the UK, with offices in London, Manchester, Cambridge, York, Brighton, Oxford and the Midlands, Mathys & Squire continues to develop its continental strategy.

The Munich office comes in addition to a team of one partner and two associates in Paris. The firm also has a presence in Luxembourg. Mathys & Squire now has 106 attorneys in Europe, as well as 30 technical assistants.

Senior partner at Mathys & Squire, Paul Cozens, says, “We have been able to expand in Munich so quickly due to the excellent reputation of Mathys & Squire, and Gerold Fiesser and his team. Post-Brexit, Andreas’ experience will enhance our expertise within the EU.”

This news story was originally published in JUVE Patent – click here to visit their website.