Rob Deans has been practising in the Middle East since 2003, when he joined Clyde & Co from a leading IP-specialist international law firm. Having obtained his law degree at Cambridge University, Rob qualified as a solicitor in England in 1994. He then spent a number of years in Hong Kong where he gained a range of experience across all areas of intellectual property.
Based out of Dubai in the UAE, Rob specialises in providing clients with advice and support on their intellectual property issues in the Middle East region, with a particular focus on contentious work. This includes dealing with a range of issues from managing regional anti-counterfeiting and anti-piracy programmes, through to providing strategic advice on cross-border trade mark and patent litigation.
Rob heads up Clyde & Co's intellectual property practice the Middle East, and he has been consistently praised as the leading IP practitioner in the UAE, including:
- Chambers Global: For three consecutive years, Rob has been ranked as the sole Band One intellectual property lawyer in the UAE. He is described by clients and peers quoted by Chambers Global as a "leading light", "the main name in this market" and as offering "the whole package, outstanding client care and legal knowledge, plus practicality and patience";
- International Law Office (ILO) Client Choice Award: In 2012, Rob received the ILO Client Choice Award for Intellectual Property in the UAE;
- World Trademark Law Review (WTR) 1000: In 2011 and 2012, WTR 1000 recognised Rob as a leading lawyer in the UAE, describing him as "a great pragmatist who is very commercially minded";
- The Legal 500 2012 identifies Rob as a leading individual and states that few can match Rob Deans' "combination of UAE and English IP law knowledge";
- Best Lawyers: Rob is the only lawyer in the UAE to be included in the Best Lawyers directory for intellectual property in the UAE;
- PLC Which Lawyer: Rob is highly recommended for intellectual property in the UAE.