All rise! – Diversity in the Patents Court

Thanks to the efforts of the London Chapter of the ChIPs Network and the Patents Court Judges (past and present), the Guide now includes an express statement of support for diversity and encourages greater involvement of junior advocates wherever appropriate. It is hoped the changes will widen opportunities for currently under-represented groups and encourage diversity at all levels, in particular in the pipeline from junior to more senior levels.

We lined up a fabulous panel of speakers to take you through the background to the changes and their current implementation. Together they explored best practices to ensure that the new Guide has the desired effect of improving diversity in the IP professions. We included a short keynote talk by High Court judge The Honourable Mr Justice Meade, and there was also a chance for delegates to share their own feedback, to put questions to the panellists and to network with them over drinks and nibbles afterwards.

This was a joint ChIPs and IP Inclusive event and was kindly hosted by WilmerHale at their London office (49 Park Lane, London W1K 1PS). It was open to all UK-based IP professionals, in particular those who practise before the Patents Court and their clerks.