A SCOTS attorney has unveiled ambitious plans to boost turnover from almost £2 million to £5m and double the number of employees over the next five years.
Lawrie IP, an independent Scottish firm of patent and trade mark attorneys, said it plans to target businesses across Europe and further afield, as well as continuing to grow throughout the UK.
The Glasgow-headquartered firm was founded by Donald Lawrie in 2010 to offer intellectual property (IP) services including advice on patents, trade marks, copyright and designs to a range of clients.
It has worked with Scottish small and medium-sized enterprises in a variety of sectors, including food and drink, life sciences, oil and gas, physics, chemistry, mechanical engineering, energy, optics and television and radio.
Lawrie IP has gone from one person - founder Mr Lawrie - to 17 employees in eight years and is aiming to grow its team to more than 30 by 2023.
Mr Lawrie said that one challenge for the IP industry in Scotland is a shortage of qualified people.
He said: “One of the biggest issues for our industry is recruitment.
"There are fewer than 30 chartered trade mark attorneys and only around 100 chartered patent attorneys in active practice in Scotland. "We’ll be looking to attract qualified professionals to Scotland as well as taking on trainees.
"As well as continuing to expand our client base in Scotland, we aim to grow our business throughout the UK and overseas. We have shown that we have the ability to expand quickly since we launched in 2010 and I’m confident the business has the potential to achieve our ambitious growth plans."
He added: "We pride ourselves on giving clear, accessible and, most importantly, useful IP advice to all our clients.
"This will remain our philosophy as we grow.”
The firm said it has recently brewed its own beer, Lawrie IPA, to support its business development activities and illustrate the importance of IP to the food and drink industry.
Lawrie IP is delivering a master class workshop on the value of protecting IP for new businesses at a Start-up Summit at Edinburgh’s Assembly Rooms today.
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