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Click here to read HSM IP’s Cayman Islands contribution to The International Comparative Legal Guide to Trade Marks 2018 and find out all you need to know about trade marks in the Cayman Islands!
HSM participated in the Layman E. Scott Sr. High School Career Fair which was held on 23 March 2018. HSM was on hand to offer the students an opportunity to join their 2018/19 internship programme. IP Head Paralegal, Natasha Whitelocke was on hand to speak with students about a career in the legal profession especially in the fields of Intellectual Property, Debt Collection, Immigration and Corporate Services.
The Honorable Ms. O’Connor- Connolly was in attendance at the fair to highlight the importance of the event. The fair was held to expose students and teachers of the Brac community to the various opportunities available on Grand Cayman and in Cayman Brac.
Ms. Whitelocke was very impressed with the students and their commitment to finding a clear path to their chosen careers. She noted, “We at HSM are committed to doing our part to ensure that there are job opportunities for our local youth. We want to ensure that those who have the opportunity to intern with us receive adequate training which will reflect on their work habits well into the future. I am excited with the possibility of attending this event again next year. “
Photo Caption – IP Head Paralegal, Natasha Whitelocke with Layman E. Scott Sr. High School Students at the Career Fair.
The HSM Group is enhancing its legal services with a new Head of Corporate & Commercial law. Mr. Peter De Vere.
Peter joins HSM from another top-tier law firm in the Cayman Islands and specialises in all areas of Cayman Islands corporate & commercial work with a special focus on asset finance, and secured lending.
Peter has over 10 years’ experience in the areas of asset finance, corporate finance and structured finance. He has extensive knowledge of aircraft and vessel financing and also regularly advises on entity formations, corporate restructuring, local business licensing and mergers and acquisitions.
Partner, Huw Moses OBE notes: “Peter brings to the firm years of valuable experience which will benefit our corporate and commercial clients.”
The HSM Group currently has 12 students undertaking a legal internship for the 2017-2018 Academic Year. The students started their internship in October 2017 and will complete the programme in June 2018. The Students were recruited at the Cayman Islands Further Education Centre (CIFEC) Career Fair which took place in September 2017.
The recruited students are working in areas such as Immigration, Intellectual Property, Debt Collection and Corporate Services. During the 10 month internship, the students are taught all aspects of the jobs carried out by the teams to which they have been paired. Attorneys Sophie Davies, Sarah Alison and Alastair David and Corporate Services Manager Lisa Shemwell will oversee the students while at the firm. During the internship period students are watched and assessed by their assigned supervisors. One student will be selected from the set at the end of the programme to be offered a summer placement within their team.
The chosen student(s), returns to our office for a 2-3 month paid placement, 5 days per week, for normal office hours. Once the summer placement is done, and the student has proven a match for an open position within the team or, possibly, elsewhere in the firm, we do our best to place one or more of the students with a full time job.
HSM has worked with the CIFEC progamme since 2012 and currently has eight CIFEC graduates forming part of our staff. The firm’s continued involvement in the CIFEC programme is a part of our commitment to the local community, as we continue to provide opportunities for young Caymanians to access the legal industry.
Managing Partner Huw Moses notes: “The CIFEC students in our internship programme are able to experience working in the legal field first hand. We appreciate being able to develop their skills, especially the students who may be interested in pursuing a career in law.
Photo Caption – L- R: Back Row – Associate Alastair David, Associate Sophie Davies, Chanel Bodden, Jade Ross, Vai’Ann Hamilton, Cyra Palacious, Channah Connor, Corporate Services Manager Lisa Shemwell and Associate Sarah Allison Front Row: Resheida Richards, Jada Smith, Sashana Wilson, Zayvion Ebanks, Vai’ann Hamilton, Carmen Caballero, Aaliyah Montero
On 22 November 2017, Kenyah Pinnock and Lisa Chin-Forde of HSM IP Ltd. presented INTA’s Unreal Campaign to a class of twenty Creative Media and Business students aged 15 and 16 year at the Cayman Islands Further Education Centre (“CIFEC”). CIFEC is a school dedicated to offering students continuing opportunities after Year 12 and is committed to inspiring all learners to develop the knowledge, skills and understanding to equip them for success in the wider world.
Kenyah Pinnock started off the presentation by explaining the concepts of trade marks and counterfeiting to the students and provided some background on the Unreal Campaign and its purpose. Kenyah said: “I gave the students examples of the different types of trade marks, including words, designs, trade get ups and non-traditional marks and went on to impress upon the students the importance of trade marks to both consumers and companies. I think that they found it most interesting to hear how even the shape of buildings could be registered as trade marks under certain circumstances”.
Lisa Chin-Forde delivered the second part of the presentation which focused on counterfeiting and engaged them in a lively game of “Real vs. Fake”. The students actively took part in discussions about the concept of counterfeiting and the importance of observing and enforcing trade mark and anti-counterfeiting legislation. Lisa said, “All in all we seemed to get through to the students the necessity of making smart purchasing choices as consumers and making sure that they are purchasing real branded goods rather than counterfeit goods. After we had delivered our full presentation, the students and teachers were kind enough to thank us personally for lending our time to educate them on such an important topic. It was a very rewarding experience”.
Owing to its heritage and geographical position, the Cayman Islands enjoys access to a vast number brands from around the world, including those from the Caribbean, the UK and the USA to mention but a few. At HSM we passionately believe in the importance of IP education and it was both fun and rewarding to spend a morning raising awareness of the negative impact of counterfeiting on communities large and small. We look forward to delivering our next Unreal presentation and spreading the message even further!
Ms. Lisa Chin-Forde Presenting to CIFEC students
Ms. Kenyah Pinnock Presenting to CIFEC students
Jennifer Cotarelo-Choice, a Paralegal at HSM IP, will attend Asociación Interamericana de la Propiedad Intelectual’s (“ASIPI”) meeting in Panama from Sunday, 26 November 2017 to Wednesday, 29 November 2017. Jennifer is looking forward to catching up with existing clients and making new connections.
HSM IP’s IP Assistants, Kenyah Pinnock and Lisa Chin-Forde, both being former students of Cayman Islands Further Education Centre (“CIFEC”), presented the International Trademark Association’s (“INTA”) Unreal Campaign to a classroom of Business and Creative Media students aged 15 to 16 on 22 November 2017 at CIFEC. The Unreal Campaign is INTA’s public awareness initiative designed to educate teenagers about the importance of trade marks, intellectual property, and the dangers of counterfeit products. Kenyah and Lisa enjoyed presenting to the class of around 17 children who were all very interested in the topic.
Huw Moses and Sophie Davies of HSM IP attended the Intellectual Property Caribbean Association’s 3rd AGM held at the Miami Marriott Dadeland Hotel in Miami, Florida on 4 November 2017. Huw Moses chaired the meeting, which was well attended by 28 representatives from 22 firms from 14 countries from the Caribbean. A panel session about Geographical Indications in the Caribbean fostered some good discussion and debate. An evening reception for members and their guests took place from 6 p.m. and was well attended.
HSM is delighted to welcome Mrs. Suneeta Lee to its growing Legal Team as an Articled Clerk. Suneeta will spend the next 18-months undergoing rigorous training rotating through all of the firm’s key practice areas, on her journey to becoming a qualified attorney.
Suneeta joined the firm in September 2017, having previously obtained extensive knowledge of various areas of Law whilst working with the firm as a Legal Intern. Suneeta graduated from the Truman Bodden Law School in 2017, attaining a Distinction in the Professional Practice Course. She was awarded the OL Panton Memorial Prize for best overall performance on the Professional Practice Course 2016/2017 and the Attorney General’s trophy for outstanding performance in the Qualifying Examination. She also attended the Truman Bodden Law School from 2013-2016 and attained an LLB. Hons Degree from the University of Liverpool in 2016. She has been actively involved in the Truman Bodden Law School Student Society and the Caymanian Bar Association.
Managing Partner, Huw Moses, OBE notes: “We welcome Suneeta to the firm. I am confident that she will become an excellent addition to the legal profession”.
Suneeta Lee
The HSM Group has added two more employees to the firm from the Cayman Islands Further Education Centre (CIFEC) Internship Program.
Gabriel Morla has joined HSM IP Ltd. to work on Intellectual property matters as an IP Administrative Assistant; he will be under the supervision of Associate Sophie Davies. Tianna Ramgeet has joined the Immigration team in HSM Chambers as an Immigration Administrative Assistant and will work under the supervision of Associate Alistair David.
HSM has worked with the CIFEC progamme since 2012 and now have eight CIFEC graduates amongst our staff of approximately 60. The firm’s continued involvement in the CIFEC programme forms part of our commitment to the local community, as we continue to provide opportunities for young Caymanians to access the legal industry.
Managing Partner Huw Moses notes: “We are pleased to have these former CIFEC students join our team. The CIFEC internship allowed each of these students to gain valuable experience and now full time employment.”
L-R: Gabriel Morla and Tianna Remgeet
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