U.K. intellectual property law firm Mathys & Squire has acquired a team of IP lawyers from the German firm Herzog Fiesser & Partner Patentanwälte, led by Gerold Fiesser, co-founder of the firm.

Fiesser will join Mathys & Squire's Munich office along with three senior IP lawyers – Giuditta Biagini, Lorraine Aleandri and Kirstin Wenck.

Mathys & Squire senior partner Paul Cozens told Law.com that Brexit was a "catalyst" for the decision to hire Fiesser and his colleagues but not the sole "reason".

"We had wanted to consolidate our position in Europe," he said, adding that the recruitment of the Munich team with its expertise and reputation would do that "in abundance".

The move will make Mathys & Squire truly a European patent firm rather than just a British or German firm, Cozens said, noting that this will be important post-Brexit.

U.K. attorneys will continue to be able to represent companies in patent cases under the European Patent Convention after Brexit, as the convention is not an EU legal agreement but is an international agreement with 38 members, including all 28 EU countries.

But post-Brexit, British companies will lose the right to file applications for trademarks under EU legal procedures. "German patent attorneys are also qualified as trademark and design attorneys," Cozens said, so they could file on behalf of U.K. companies.

Cozens noted in a statement that the firm has had a significant presence in Europe for some time, and the Munich office will work seamlessly with its teams across the U.K. and in Paris and Luxembourg. "After Brexit, a recognised expertise within the EU is crucial to serve our clients worldwide," he said.

Fiesser said his team is delighted to be making the move.

"Mathys & Squire's size, international reach and depth of support in the U.K., U.S. and Asia will be of significant benefit to our client base across key global IP jurisdictions," Fiesser said. "In addition, our extensive experience and close proximity to the European Patent Office, the German Patent & Trade Mark Office and the German Federal Patent Court will allow us to service Mathys & Squire's U.K. and international client base."

Fiesser is a German patent attorney and a European patent, trademark and design attorney. His fields of expertise are life sciences, organic and polymer chemistry including personal care items and compositions, beauty, polymer chemistry and polymer applications and additives, as well as oils and fats.

Biagini is an Italian and European patent attorney who specialises in the preparation of patent applications, oppositions and appeals in the chemistry, pharmaceutical chemistry and polymers sectors.

Aleandri is a German patent attorney, a European patent agent and a U.S. patent agent, who specialises in oppositions, appeals, freedom-to-operate opinions, and litigation. Aleandri's work focuses on chemistry, physics and engineering, including medical and drug delivery products.

Wenck focuses on patent and trademark prosecution and opposition proceedings in the organic, polymer and biochemistry fields.

The attorneys' previous firm has changed its name and will now operate as Altmann Stößel Dick Patentanwälte, according to its website.