MICHAEL FORRESTER

Partner, Head of Litigation

Michael is Head of Litigation for both Claimsmiths and Brandsmiths. 

He joined Brandsmiths with a vision to establish the only specialist intellectual property law firm in Manchester. He was persuaded to London while the firm expanded rapidly and returned to the North in 2016 to head our Manchester office, leading its growth ever since.

Michael has vast experience across IP, media, sport and commercial legal work with a bias towards contentious matters. His main focus is complex litigation problems or important deals for clients such as Microsoft, Iconix Brand Group (Umbro, Lee Cooper, Starter) and Missguided, as well as other fast growth companies and startups. He has a passion for consumer rights in intellectual property and data, including acting in the first Court cases concerning peer-to-peer downloads over networks like BitTorrent.

He is described by the legal directories as providing “clear, direct and commercial advice” which is “tactically astute’ and being “tenacious” where necessary. Overall, the Manchester office is said to be “very modern, friendly and approachable with an excellent understanding of the commercial realities of its clients”.

michael@brandsmiths.co.uk