Chris Cook obituary

9th Nov 2021

It is with great sadness that we report the untimely death of Christopher “Chris” Cook.

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Chris passed away on 23rd October 2021 following a period of illness. He had been a lifelong trade mark attorney, having qualified as a trade mark agent in the 1970s.  

He spent a period working for Marks & Clerk at their London office, before moving to Forrester, Ketley & Co (now Forresters) in 1974. He spent the rest of his working career, over 30 years, at Forresters.

Whilst at Forresters he was an examiner for ITMA (now CITMA) and the Joint Examination Board. He was also Treasurer of ITMA for a time and regularly attended ITMA Council meetings.

At Forresters he worked with Sheila Lesley OBE, and between them they built a substantial and respected trade mark practice. 

Mixed partnerships of patent attorneys and trade mark attorneys were not allowed at the time and so Forresters created two partnerships to enable Chris to be made a partner in 1989. 

His fellow partners appreciated his diligence and good humour, and he was generous with his time in mentoring junior partners and those considering partnership.

Chris was a gentle and accepting individual. He had many friends in the profession and would be concerned about his “nice man” reputation when instructed to play “hardball” on contentious cases.

Having retired in 2005, Chris learned to play golf and enjoyed socialising with friends and family. He enjoyed regular foreign holidays and, in more recent times, his grandchildren have been a source of pleasure.

Our sympathies are with his wife Catherine, his daughters Laura and Alissa and their families, by whom he will be sorely missed.

The funeral was held on Thursday 11th November at Woollensbrook Cemetery & Crematorium in Hoddesdon.