About us

Christopher Adamson

Specialising in International In-house and Private Practice Legal appointments, Christopher was educated at Ampleforth College and graduated in 1996 from Salford University with a BA Honours degree in French, Spanish and Portuguese. He then spent one year in the insurance field before spending two successful years with Unilever, where he worked in sales and marketing. Christopher subsequently decided to move into recruitment, joining a leading international recruitment consultancy, where he worked for three years recruiting sales and marketing executives. He joined Adamson & Partners in December 2002 where he played an essential role in spearheading the company’s expansion into the Legal market from its London City Office. Christopher became Managing Partner in December 2014.

Christopher combines leading the company with focusing on conducting IP Partner searches for law firm clients. Specifically, he manages retained searches on behalf of law firms for Intellectual Property Lawyers, usually at Partner level, with particular expertise in helping firms grow their IP practices on an international basis. Key jurisdictions include the UK, France, Germany and The Netherlands.

Rene Chung

Rene Chung is responsible for senior Intellectual Property appointments across Europe, USA and Asia.  Specializing in pan-European and cross-border international assignments, Rene has a thorough understanding  of the international IP marketplace. Rene’s clients include multinational companies and small to medium enterprises across a broad range of industries: Telecommunications, High-Tech / Software, Automotive, Pharmaceutical, Biotech, Medical Device, Industrial Engineering, Chemicals, FMCG, as well as IP law firms. Rene holds a BSc in Chemical Engineering (Petroleum & Process Engineering) from University of Waterloo, Canada.  She worked as a Process Engineer for a number of multinational companies within the chemical and automotive sectors in North America prior to joining the Executive Search business.  Before joining Adamson & Partners in 2009, Rene worked for two top-tier international executive search firms focusing on the Oil & Gas and Energy sectors. She has worked and lived in Toronto, Hong Kong and Shanghai before relocating to London. Born in Hong Kong and raised in Canada, Rene speaks fluent Cantonese and intermediate Mandarin. She brings with her a diverse cultural background and extensive international work experience.

Julian Adamson

After graduating from Richmond, the American International University in London with a Dual US and UK Honours degree in International Business, Julian joined Adamson & Partners on a full time basis in 2012 as a Research Associate, having previously undertaken several internships within the organisation over a number of years. Julian became a Consultant with Adamson & Partners in March 2014, handling assignments throughout Continental Europe, and a Partner in December 2014. In 2015, Julian took responsibility for our Nordic and German teams and now splits his time between the two regions working on behalf of industry and private practice clients to recruit IP professionals. Julian also conducts IP Team Audits and Talent Benchmarking, providing his clients with customised assessments to answer critical talent management questions.

Milli Bouri

Milli has over 10 years’ recruitment experience in the Patent and Trademark field. Born in Malawi, she moved to the UK in 1996 to study Computing and Management. She began her career with a leading graduate recruitment company, where she launched and developed the IP division. Milli was promoted to a Senior Consultant before leaving to join a boutique Search and Selection firm offering a more bespoke approach. In 2004 she opened her own consultancy, continuing to offer her expertise in IP recruitment to leading Private Practices and In-house departments in the UK. Milli successfully managed her own firm for over 6 years developing and growing her portfolio of clients in the UK, before joining Adamson & Partners in 2010. Milli became a Partner in December 2014.

Sven Laacks LL.M

Sven specialises in national and international private practice legal appointments. A German full-qualified lawyer, Sven graduated from the Westfälische Wilhelms-University in Münster and holds an LL.M. with a focus in Real Estate Law. He started his professional career as an attorney in a boutique law firm in Munich before transitioning into legal recruitment in 2008. Sven initially worked for several market-leading consultancies and an alternative legal service provider in Frankfurt and Düsseldorf. Sven has gained more than 10 years of experience in search projects and recruitment within the German private practice market and legal industry. His clients include national and international law firm as well as German mid-sized and boutique law firms. Sven joined Adamson & Partners in 2018 to further strengthen our Legal Division in Germany. His key specialisms include search projects for Counsel, Salary and Equity Partner, in areas such as Corporate, Banking, IP/IT & Technology, Patents, Real Estate, Litigation, Arbitration and Employment law.

Katharina Gangnus LL.B

Katharina specialises in recruiting in-house lawyers for national and international corporates and banks of all seniority levels. She studied law at Bucerius Law School in Hamburg as well as Osgoode Hall Law School Toronto, Canada and took her Second State Exam after completing her legal traineeship in the Hanseatic City. Katharina began her professional career as an in-house lawyer for a German bank and remains admitted to the Frankfurt bar. She transitioned into legal recruitment in 2015. Katharina initially worked for a global recruitment consultancy in Frankfurt a.M. before joining Adamson & Partners in January 2019. She has gained extensive experience in co-operation with clients and candidates in all areas of the in-house market. Not least because of several search projects in the area of M&A insurance, Katharina has made a name for herself as an executive search consultant. At Adamson & Partners, Katharina strengthens our Legal Division in Germany alongside Sven Laacks.