Companies House database shows that Joel Barry resigned on April 16 2019, and his profile is no longer available on CMS’ website. IP star Sarah Wright, who now splits her time between London and Warsaw, was promoted to Head of UK IP practice last month.

CMS is ranked for IP work in a number of European jurisdictions, including the UK.

The reason for Barry’s resignation remains unconfirmed. When Managing IP requested for confirmation of his departure, the firm’s spokesperson said: “We can confirm that a partner has been asked to leave the firm and will not be commenting further.”

Barry, who specialises in trade mark protection and enforcement, was one of the well-known IP partners of Olswang (now defunct) that joined CMS after its big merger in May 2017.