DLA Piper's head of IP goes west to join Burges Salmon

DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary's respected head of IP Jeremy Dickerson has made a shock move to Bristol-based firm Burges Salmon.

Before Dickerson's arrival, Burges Salmon only had one IP partner, Helen Scott-Lawler. The firm now has big plans for its IP practice.

It also promoted IP associate Andrew Allan-Jones to partner.

"We're looking to expand the IP practice far more," said Scott-Lawler. "We're looking to recruit more junior-level people."

IP clients of Burges Salmon include Royal Botanic Gardens Kew and the Colt Car Company.

Dickerson told The Lawyer that family came first in his decision to leave London. He approached Burges Salmon after leaving DLA Piper in December.

"The bottom line is that I was looking for a bit more balance in my life," said Dickerson. "I just had a little boy in October and around that time we wanted to reassess the way we ran our lives."

Dickerson worked with Harrods, ICI and Kodak at DLA Piper and hopes that some clients will move with him to Burges Salmon.

At DLA Piper, technology, media and telecoms head Simon Levine and IP partner Bonella Ramsay will take over as co-heads of IP. Ramsay wished Dickerson well and said the IP practice will come out "with all guns blazing" in 2006.