Lorna Mbatia

Practice Areas

Lorna is the founding partner at CFL Advocates and heads the Commercial and Corporate Law and the Intellectual Property Law Departments of the firm. She is also recognised as a leading expert in these fields of law.

Under her leadership, the Firm has received numerous instructions to prosecute IP applications and has assisted corporate entities and individuals, both local and international, in creating well-crafted IP portfolios that strengthen their position in the market. She has continuously strived to provide a tailored approach to portfolio management for each of the firm’s clients. Under her guidance, the firm has represented clients in contentious IP matters before various courts and tribunals.

Lorna, together with her team at CFL Advocates have carved out a niche by their great ability to offer commercially sound IP advisory in mergers & acquisitions, audits, valuations, risk analysis, due diligence investigations, restructuring and optimisation of IP portfolios. Lorna has also expertly negotiated and concluded IP settlement agreements including co-existence agreements for various clients. Lorna is a certified mediator and assists clients pursue alternative dispute resolution options in resolving IP disputes.

Lorna understands the threat that counterfeiters present to intellectual property rights holders and hence uses her experience of working with brands across all sectors to advise on a host of anti-counterfeiting measures. From preventative best practice and ongoing brand-monitoring to strategic enforcement in court, she has the expertise and know-how required to advise when faced with the risk of counterfeiters.

As a member of the Legal and Regulatory Committee of the Kenya Association of Manufacturers and various INTA committees, Lorna has been involved in reviewing laws and policies governing Intellectual Property rights across East Africa. She is a former member of the INTA Board of Directors. Being a member of global and regional bodies of IP owners and practitioners, she has formed and maintains strategic relationships, which she leverages on to provide clients with, cross border legal advice and portfolio management.

Lorna is highly regarded for her expertise in data protection and privacy law. She has counselled clients on compliance with privacy regulations, including the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Kenya Data Protection (Compliance & Enforcement) Regulations. She has assisted clients with data breach response and mitigation efforts.

Lorna is recognised for her depth of knowledge and ability to think outside the box in coming up with suitable solutions to clients concerns.