A law firm which is celebrating 150 years of taking care of clients has launched a new specialist service dealing with trade marks, copyright, design and patents - in a year that also marks the sesquicentenary of the first trade mark registration in the UK.
Jacksons recently supported CILEX lawyer Charlotte Barugh through a Postgraduate Certificate in Intellectual Property at Bournemouth University.
IP is a growing area of law which the firm has already been supporting clients with for decades.
However, as a result of Charlotte’s qualification, she is now equipped to head up a new specialist intellectual property service from the dispute resolution team alongside Samantha Higgins, associate solicitor in Jacksons’ Corporate and Commercial team.
The team will support clients across a broad range of intellectual property matters, including protection, enforcement and dispute resolution.
The timing of this new service launch is particularly serendipitous, as 2026 also marks 150 years since the registration of the UK’s first trade mark – Bass Brewery’s distinctive Red Triangle.
Through her course, which is accredited by the Intellectual Property Regulation Board, Charlotte has gained additional knowledge and expertise in this area from leading academics at the Centre for Intellectual Property Policy and Management (CIPPM).
This has armed the firm with additional advanced knowledge of copyright, trade marks, patents, and designs, as well as the practical application of IP law in commercial and dispute contexts, making Jacksons a go-to legal expert on matters relating to intellectual property.
Charlotte, who completed the five-month course alongside her full-time job, said she was “delighted” with her achievement.
“Completing a postgraduate qualification in just five months alongside practice was a challenge, but one that was incredibly rewarding,” she said.
“IP is a growing and exciting area of law, and I’m looking forward to putting what I have learnt into practice and spending more time working in this area.”
Charlotte’s qualification provides the firm with enhanced capabilities in this area of law and strengthens the firm’s ability to deliver strategic, commercially focused advice across both contentious and transactional matters.
Erica Turner, head of legal at Jacksons said it was particularly interesting that the firm had launched this service in its 150th anniversary year, when 2026 also marks 150 years since the iconic Bass logo was registered as the UK’s first trademark.
“It’s a very happy coincidence!” Erica said.
“I am pleased we are able to offer this new service in what is a growing area of law, thanks to Charlotte’s hard work and dedication in achieving this additional qualification.
“Charlotte is now well equipped to develop an enhanced IP service over and above what we were already offering as a firm and will be able to support clients through any IP challenges or preventing future issues relating to IP law, including copyright, trade marks, patents, and designs.”
Charlotte’s latest qualification in IP builds on her recent achievement in becoming a CILEX lawyer, which saw her being included on the CILEX Authorised Practitioners Directory and enabled her to practice with equivalence to a solicitor in her specialist area.
This route to becoming a lawyer, which is an alternative to the traditional completion of a degree followed by a legal practice course, takes six years to achieve.
Charlotte was amongst the first people in the country to qualify as a CILEX lawyer through this route, after beginning her career with Jacksons as a legal secretary in 2020.
Her success underscores Jacksons’ commitment to its people and their professional development, as it celebrates 150 years of success.
The Bass Brewery red triangle is widely celebrated as the UK’s first officially registered trade mark (Trade Mark No. 1), filed as the statutory registry opened on January 1, 1876.
While technical legal historians note it was part of a broader initial label filing alongside numbers two and three, it remains a monumental icon in global branding history.
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