Alerts

Warning: Trademark correspondence misusing the name of Thornhill Legal Ltd

12 November 2025

Correspondence regarding purported intellectual property matters has been sent, misusing the name of Thornhill Legal Ltd.

What is the scam?

A variety of bogus correspondence has been sent to businesses, purporting to be from an Intellectual Property solicitor called 'Yuhua Tang' and misusing the name of a genuine firm of solicitors (please see genuine details below).

The correspondence seen by the SRA advises the recipients that an application has been made, seeking exclusive rights to their company name or to a brand name used by the recipient. The correspondence invites the recipient to secure trademark registration and offers to assist with the process.

The emails have been sent from the email address 'yuhua@thornhillslegal.com' and misuse the name, company number and registered office address of a genuine firm of solicitors (see details below).

The emails also provide the website address 'hornhillslegal.com'. This website is not operational.

The SRA do not authorise or regulate a solicitor called 'Yuhua Tang'.

Any business or transaction through the emails, email address 'yuhua@thornhillslegal.com' or website described above are not undertaken by an individual or firm authorised and regulated by the SRA.

Is there a genuine firm or person?

The SRA authorises and regulates a genuine firm of solicitors called Thornhill Legal Ltd, which also trades as Thornhill Legal. The firm's registered office address is 1/F 3 More London Riverside, London, SE1 2RE. Emails from the genuine firm use the email domain '@thornhill-legal.com' and the firm's website address is 'www.thornhill-legal.com'.

The SRA also regulates a genuine solicitor called Yuhua Yang who works as a Partner at the firm Thornhill Legal Ltd. The SRA number for the genuine solicitor is 7021890.

Thornhill Legal Ltd and Yuhua Yang have confirmed that they have no connection to the emails, email address or website referred to in the above alert.

What should I do?

When a firm's or individual's identity has been copied exactly (or cloned), due diligence is necessary. If you receive correspondence claiming to be from the above firm(s) or individual(s), or information of a similar nature to that described, you should conduct your own due diligence by checking the authenticity of the correspondence by contacting the law firm directly by reliable and established means. You can contact the SRA to find out if individuals or firms are regulated and authorised by the SRA and verify an individual's or firm's practising details. Other verification methods, such as checking public records (e.g. telephone directories and company records) may be required in other circumstances.