The questions independent drinks founders ask most — answered. Distilled from years of community knowledge so the good stuff never disappears in the feed again.
Members recommend a small number of trusted IP specialists, most commonly used for trademark protection and defending against IP infringement. The community has experience with both high-end specialist firms and broader legal networks. **Specific recommendations:** - **Marks & Clerk** — Erik at Marks & Clerk (erouk@marks-clerk.com) is noted as excellent but expensive. Members have used them for IP work. - **Kilburn Strode** — Recommended for IP specialism; members use them for this area. - **Taylor Wessing** — A senior contact available at this firm for those willing to spend significantly on premium IP advice. - **Loupe** (https://www.loupe-uk.com/) — At least one member was in discussions with them; another member was willing to compare notes on their services, though neither had fully committed at the time of discussion. - **Legal500 rankings** — Members suggest checking Legal500 (https://www.legal500.com/united-kingdom-solicitors/) to identify tier-1 firms with specific IP specialisms before engaging. **Additional context:** Members have successfully used IP advisors for trademark protection, defending against patent infringement, and handling disputes (examples mentioned include defending against Puma and helping with IP enforcement against TRX). Several members offered DMs to share specific contact details beyond what was posted publicly. For other legal needs (particularly EIS/SEIS support for early-stage companies), members also mentioned **Seed Legals** as an option, though the discussion did not provide details on their IP services specifically.