Ciara Cullen
Partner
An IP and technology litigation specialist, Ciara Cullen is dual qualified in England & Wales and the Republic of Ireland and has acted in several international disputes.
Having acted in several disputes before the English and Irish Courts, the UK IPO, the ICC and CIETAC, Ciara's practice also has a significant international element and sees her advising clients on multi-jurisdictional disputes across the full range of IP rights including trade marks / passing off, copyright, patents, design rights, breach of confidential information and IP licence disputes.
On the non-contentious side, Ciara supports clients on brand protection and counterfeit issues, IP projects and licensing, sponsorship/endorsement arrangements, franchising and commercial contracts. She also provides specialist advice on IP and technology acquisitions and disposals.
Clients range from luxury goods, retail and food to FMCG, technology, media, life sciences, insurance and financial services.
Ciara has been published in several leading journals including Managing IP, e-Commerce Law and Policy, SCL, LexisNexis and ILO and regularly speaks at client and industry conferences. Ciara is a member of the editorial team that produces the annual TerraLex Cross-Border Copyright Guide.
Ciara has been recognised as Next Generation Partner for Retail and Consumer and Intellectual Property: Trade Marks, Copyright and Design by The Legal 500 UK (2021).
Relevant work
Advising several premium and luxury spirits brands on the exploitation and protection of IP rights, IP enforcement and counterfeit issues, sponsorship and endorsement arrangements and IP disputes in various jurisdictions
Acting for a global petrochemical company in arbitration proceedings in Hong Kong before CIETAC relating to alleged breach of confidential information
Acting for an international food conglomerate in a franchising and trade mark dispute before the ICC in Paris
Acting for an international service company in a procurement outsourcing dispute before the UK Commercial Court
Acting for a multinational pharmaceutical company in patent infringement and revocation proceedings concerning coronary stents before the Irish Commercial Court
Directory Quotes
"Ciara Cullen is a standout lawyer – smart, thoughtful and an absolute pleasure to work with." - Legal 500 UK 2024
"Ciara Cullen is an outstanding lawyer and very responsive. I am always very happy going to her for advice." - Legal 500 UK 2023
"Outstanding service levels and very client-friendly. Clear and concise vision of all the issues." - The Legal 500 UK 2022
"Ciara Cullen is technically excellent and a fantastic client lawyer. Always there when we need her and gives consistently good advice, both legally and commercially." - The Legal 500 UK 2022
"Ciara Cullen, who focuses on branding matters, is another key individual. She provides 'clear, concise support with contract queries. Ciara Cullen is equally helpful and provides excellent clear concise support with contract queries across a wide range of potential situations." - The Legal 500 UK 2022
"Ciara Cullen stands out for being a true business partner. Ciara coordinates the team to ensure the very best client experience, ensuring accurate timely advice on a diverse range of queries. An expert in her field, we have come to rely on Ciara and her team as an extension of the business." - The Legal 500 UK 2022
Recommended - The Legal 500 UK 2022
Next Generation Partner - The Legal 500 UK 2022
"Ciara is a pragmatic, fast and experienced lawyer. Her advice is pitch perfect, she has good knowledge of the FCMG industry and she understands all technical elements of a case, but is also alive to commercial concerns." - World Trademark Review 1000 2021
Next Generation Partner - The Legal 500 UK 2021
"Approachable, knowledgeable and very commercial" - The Legal 500 UK 2021
Recommended - The Legal 500 UK 2021
"Ciara Cullen is very professional, friendly and knowledgeable. Her litigation experience comes in handy when negotiating complex agreements." - The Legal 500 UK 2021
Recommended - The Legal 500 UK 2021
"Ciara Cullen is very client friendly. Approachable, able to flex style as appropriate and to explain complex legal issues in a clear and concise way." - The Legal 500 UK 2021
"Ciara Cullen is very knowledgeable and responsive, good at handling clients with sensitivity and creating rapport." - The Legal 500 UK 2021
"Ciara Cullen is able to flex style as appropriate and to explain complex legal issues in a clear and concise way. Consistently delivers sound legal advice in a digestible form." - The Legal 500 UK 2021
One client describes Ciara Cullen as 'one of the best lawyers I have ever had the pleasure of working with; she gets what I need and delivers…she is knowledgeable about all IP rights, commercial and practical'. - World Trademark Review 1000 2020
"Ciara Cullen is great at bringing people together to share insights on current issues facing in-house teams – she ensures there are always tangible results" - The Legal 500 UK 2020
[Ciara] is an authority on sponsorship and endorsement arrangements and other commercial IP matters. - World Trademark Review 1000 2019
[Ciara] puts her finely honed negotiation skills to good use when resolving cross-border trademark disputes. - World Trademark Review 1000 2019
"Rising star" – Managing Intellectual Property, IP Stars, 2016 edition
Memberships
Awards
- Shortlisted: Women, Influence & Power in Law Awards 2022 - Innovative Leaders in ESG and Diversity
- Shortlisted: British Legal Awards 2022 - ESG initiative of the Year (Ciara Cullen and Sophie Tuson)