Inside NZ’s largest trade mark practice

In April 2024, David Harper took the reins as practice leader for AJ Park’s renowned trade mark team, bringing over 15 years of expertise in intellectual property.

With AJ Park’s trade mark practice standing as the largest in New Zealand—and arguably in Australasia—Harper’s leadership is focused on fostering unity, collaboration, and professional growth.

Speaking to NZ Lawyer, Harper discusses the steps he’s taking to bring the team closer together, and to ensure that AJ Park continues to lead the way in the trade mark space.

A collaborative approach

Harper’s vision for the team has been partly shaped by his career in Dubai, where he spent over 12 years advising on brand protection and enforcement. This experience taught him the value of different perspectives and laid the foundation for his inclusive leadership style.

“I was able to work with a diverse group of people from different backgrounds and cultures,” Harper says.

“Once you work in that environment for over a decade, you develop the ability to work with a broad range of different people. Now, my leadership style is very much a team player. I like to be collaborative, and I like to have different ideas feeding into the different decisions that we make. This approach ensures that we get the best outcome for our clients.”

The trade mark team at AJ Park is a powerhouse, comprising several principal-led teams supported by special counsel, senior associates, solicitors, paralegals, and assistants. Altogether, nearly 50 professionals make up the team. The team balances a mix of local and international work, with approximately half of its projects rooted in New Zealand and the other half spanning the globe.

Harper notes that the team’s size and exclusive focus on IP is what makes it truly unique.

“We’ve built up a really strong international network over many decades, and we work with people around the world day to day,” he comments.

“Since I became practice group leader, I’ve also been working really hard to unify the practice. We have an Auckland and Wellington office, and our unified approach allows clients to tap into the full range of expertise. We have a clear understanding of each team member’s unique strengths, which we harness to deliver maximum value.”

Bringing the team together

A key moment for the trade mark team this year was AJ Park’s first trade mark summit since 2020. The summit hosted professional development discussions on everything from technical IP-related topics, and business development to wellness and mindfulness. Their litigation colleagues also joined to discuss the contentious side of the practice, and how to manage tricky conflicts of interest.

“We also talked about the market challenges that we see on the horizon, and how we can collaborate more to face those head-on,” Harper says. “It was really great to be able to bring everyone together.”

Looking towards the future, Harper says that adaptability and keeping pace with rapid change will be vital to the team’s success.

He notes that the last few years have already transformed how the trade mark team operates, with flexibility being key. As we enter a new age of technological change, he says that more innovation is on the horizon – and it’s going to be exciting.

“We’ve experienced a huge amount of change in the last few years, and that’s forced us all to adapt – mostly for the best,” Harper says.

“In trade marks, that’s been very data and records-driven. We’re seeing more solutions that can handle those data points better, and we recently rolled out a client portal that allows our clients to access all their own records.”

Harper notes that keeping up with change also means constantly learning, and as a result, the trade mark team’s upskilling journey never stops. With businesses now able to go global at lightning speed, this adaptability means the team is able to ensure that client IP is fully protected in key markets from the get-go.

Lastly, Harper stresses that people remain at the centre of this forward-thinking approach. He is passionate about growing talent from within, ensuring team members have opportunities to thrive.

“Many of our paralegals started out as assistants, and we recently had a paralegal graduate to become a solicitor,” he says. “We have an AJ Park academy that we run to help train our juniors, and we’re always focused on supporting our people’s ambitions. When our people feel empowered, the pool of knowledge within the team grows – and ultimately, our clients benefit!”

For Harper, embracing the future means not just adapting to change but driving it—while making sure his team and clients succeed along the way.