Don Turner has spent most of his career in the London IP profession. As an IP specialist solicitor, Don was a partner in Theodore Goddard (now Addleshaw Goddard) and Bailey, Shaw & Gillett (now Charles Russell Speechlys). More recently, he was trade marks senior at Avidity IP Limited.
Don specialises in trade mark procurement, trademark opposition practice, and IP transactions and the due diligence often associated with them. He is a well-recognised figure in the UK profession for his knowledge and experience in the IP field.
But perhaps most of all, Don is a master of practical commercial/legal common sense. He is highly valued for this quality by clients in the sometimes difficult decision-making processes faced in trade mark conflicts. Don likes the following quote from a like-thinking colleague:
“The law is sensible, you know. It talks about “likelihood of confusion” for good reason – that anything less is really not likely to matter commercially. Talking it through with the client, there wasn’t a real likelihood of commercial damage to the clients’ business. So, the opposition they had filed on advice had no real business purpose. Formal advice can be complex with these issues. It’s often the hardest part our job to give clients practical counselling around that so they can come to the most informed decision. It’s so very important that we give that extra layer of advice.”