Lorna has a degree in geophysics from the University of Edinburgh and spent several years in computational modelling of the Earth’s magnetic field at the University of Cambridge before changing to a career in law.  She joined Bird & Bird’s Intellectual Property Department upon qualifying as a solicitor in 1994 and became a partner in the firm in 2001.  She is an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Patent Agents and a Member of the Computer Law Association.

Since qualifying she has specialised in intellectual property litigation, with a particular interest in patents and copyright issues.  She has been involved in cases in the Patents Court and Patents County Court and in the European Patent Office, acting for both claimants and defendants concerning patents over a range of technologies including telecoms equipment, semiconductor memory devices, computer components and other electronic devices, as well as others more conventional and unconventional.

Lorna’s reported cases include Intel v. VIA Technologies (computer chipsets), Oakley v. H Young (Operations) & Ors (registered design), Oxford Gene Technology v. Affymetrix (synthesis of DNA and DNA microarrays), The Horne Engineering Company v. Reliance Water Controls (thermostatic valves), and Union Carbide Corp v. BP Chemicals (process for the production of polyethylene), which included a significant project on the assessment of damages.

Since several of these cases have been part of simultaneous parallel proceedings involving actions in other jurisdictions such as the USA, France and Germany, Lorna has also developed expertise in the management of parallel litigation in several jurisdictions.

Lorna has experience of a variety of issues relating to software copyrights and e-commerce, including litigation over copyright ownership and infringement, and has advised a range of clients on the establishment of certification authorities, the legal status of encryption technology and the use of digital signatures.

Lorna lectures and publishes widely on a range of topics relating to her areas of interest. In addition to numerous articles, she has written chapters in Database Law (Jordans, 1998) and The Pharmaceutical Pricing Compendium (Urch, 2003). She is the author of Electronic Signatures Law and Regulation (Sweet & Maxwell, 2004) and co-author with Trevor Cook of The Copyright Directive: UK Implementation (Jordans, 2004).