Clyde & Co has boosted its Middle East intellectual property (IP) group with the hire of a partner from DLA Piper.

Joycia Young, who specialises in IP and franchising, was head of IP for the Middle East, South Asia and Africa (MESA) region at DLA and was based in the UK top 10 firm's Dubai office.

Major deals she worked on at DLA included advising Abu Dhabi media city twofour54 on on filing for trademark registration of its brand in 20 countries throughout the MESA region.

In her new role at Clydes Young will work closely with IP chief Rob Deans, as well as taking the lead in developing the firm's regional franchising offering.

Deans said: "We see Joycia's arrival as another key step in the continued expansion of our IP offering across the Middle East."

Commenting on her move, Joycia said: "Clydes was the natural choice for me as I am looking to broaden my IP practice. They have a well established infrastructure to manage large IP portfolios."

The hire is the latest partner appointment in a strong run of hires for Clydes, following the addition of Howard Kennedy partner Martin Davies to its London corporate practice earlier this month.

Other recent hires for Clydes include Maclay Murray & Spens partner David Leckie, who joined the firm's energy practice in April.