Virginia Beniac-Brooks – Principal & Legal Director
Virginia has 30 years’ experience in intellectual property law. Virginia was previously a partner of two attorney firms: Phillips Ormonde Fitzpatrick and the international firm of Marks & Clerk LLP.
Virginia holds a Bachelor of Science (Hons) from the University of Sydney majoring in Biochemistry and Mathematics. Virginia also holds a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) from Deakin University where she was named in the Dean’s Merit List for outstanding academic performance. Virginia is a registered Patent Attorney in Australia and New Zealand and a registered Trade Marks in Australia.
During her time in the IP profession Virginia has worked closely with clients across all industries and technologies to gain an understanding of their needs and to deliver a tailored IP strategy that is commercially relevant. When prosecuting IP matters Virginia combines her technical background with litigation experience to achieve the best possible outcome for the client.
Virginia is an Author of the Patents Commentary in the LexisNexis (Butterworths) publication “Lahore: Patents, Trademark & Related Rights” and a member of the Patent Attorney Education Advisory Board at Monash University.
Virginia is a Fellow of the Institute of Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys Australia, a Member of INTA, a Member of the Law Institute of Victoria and listed on the IAM Strategy 300 – The World’s Leading IP Strategists. Virginia is also a member of FICPI (International Federation of Intellectual Property Attorneys); AIPPI (International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property), and the US based Intellectual Property Owners Association.
Ruth Clarkson – Special Counsel
Ruth holds a Master of Science degree and Bachelor of Science Degree (Honours First Class) from the University of Sydney. Ruth is a registered Patent Attorney in Australia and New Zealand and a registered Trade Marks Attorney in Australia. Ruth has worked in IP profession for 30 years and her experience includes drafting and prosecuting chemical patent applications including those related to organic chemistry, mineral chemistry, pharmaceuticals, methods of medical treatment, formulations, industrial chemistry and chemical engineering. Ruth has also been extensively involved in opposition proceedings before the Australian Patent Office and IP disputes in the Australian Courts.
Ruth started in the profession in 1988 and qualified as a Patent Attorney in 1993. From 1988 to 1991 she practiced as a Technical Assistant at Spruson & Ferguson. From December 1991 to March 2000 Ruth worked as an Associate at Shelston Waters (now Shelston IP). Ruth was a Senior Associate at Spruson & Ferguson from April 2000 to November 2015. In 2016 she took a break to support her youngest daughter in her final year of high school and Ruth re-joined the profession in 2017 to work at Arcadia Intellectual Property.
Ruth is a Fellow of the Institute of Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys Australia and a Member of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute.
Sarah Bowman – Practice Manager
Sarah has been a part of the team at Arcadia Intellectual Property since 2012. Sarah is the Practice Manager and is responsible for HR, the development and implementation of formal and informal structures in the Firm as well as overseeing the day-to-day running of the office. In addition to her role as Practice Manager, Sarah also provides legal and administrative assistance to the Principal of the Firm.
Prior to commencing at Arcadia Intellectual Property, Sarah worked as an Executive Assistant at an International Patent & Trade Mark Attorney firm and was the Personal Assistant and Legal Secretary to a very senior Barrister at the Victorian Bar. During her time in the profession, Sarah has gained invaluable knowledge about the practice and procedures of many aspects of the Intellectual Property profession including patent, trade mark and design prosecution, trade mark and patent opposition matters as well as Federal Court proceedings, which she draws upon in her day to day work at Arcadia Intellectual Property.
Before entering the world of Intellectual Property, Sarah completed a Bachelor of Media Studies at La Trobe University.
Rosie Rigoni – Administrative Assistant
Rosie has worked in the Intellectual Property field for over 10 years and has worked with a wide variety of clients of different sizes from SMEs to multinational corporations.
At Arcadia Intellectual Property, Rosie assists in all aspects of administration including managing and maintaining the Firm’s database system. Rosie has streamlined the processes within the practice and provides invaluable support and guidance to the Firm’s professional staff and consultants.