Juggling caring and working in the IP profession
Thursday 12 June 2025
12.30 – 1.30 pm, online
According to Carers UK research, 1 in 7 people in the workplace in the UK are juggling work and care, with the numbers increasing and many people finding themselves in the so called “sandwich generation”. Often, the caring responsibilities may fall disproportionately on the female, with Census in England and Wales reporting that 59% of unpaid carers are female. Last year, LawCare published the outcomes of its carers audit of the legal profession in a report “Mind the Caring Gap”. The mental and physical toll of being carer is significant: over three-quarters (77%) of those surveyed reported an impact on their mental health and 70% said their physical health was affected by their caring role.
Working in the legal sector can be tough – how can IP professionals juggle the ever-increasing demands in and outside the workplace without suffering burnout? How can workplaces adapt to help their workforce and provide a supportive environment for the challenges faced by carers?
This free webinar from a collaboration among IP Inclusive, Women in IP and IP Ability will look at the mental health implications of having caring responsibilities and highlight the unique challenges faced by carers in the legal profession. Niamh Warnock (Engagement and Relationship Manager, LawCare) will provide an overview of the LawCare report, and Karen Genuardi (Head of People and Talent at Lee and Thompson) will provide an HR perspective on how best to support professionals that have caring responsibilities. This will be followed by a Q&A discussion to allow people to share their own experiences and to feed back on the report.
The discussions will be moderated by Chris Clarke.
Meet the Speakers
Niamh Warnock
Niamh Warnock in her role as LawCare’s Engagement and Relationship Manager works to build and develop stakeholder relationships alongside raising awareness of LawCare’s services and delivering training. Niamh assists the LawCare Support Services Team with the delivery of direct support channels to LawCare contacts and manages the Champions programme.
Niamh joined LawCare in 2022 after practising as a solicitor from 2010. Niamh initially took on the role of Support and Volunteer Coordinator with LawCare managing their team of volunteers.
Karen Genuardi
Karen is Head of People and Talent at Lee and Thompson, where she plays an active role in creating and maintaining a diverse and inclusive environment. As a mum of two, the eldest being neurodivergent, Karen’s experience as a carer and her role in supporting the employees in her working life to thrive and reach their full potential, fuels her passion for improving diversity across the IP profession. Karen has been an active member of IP Inclusive since 2016 and an IP Ability committee member since it was founded.
Chris Clarke
Chris is a senior patent attorney at Phillips Medisize. He is a carer for his younger son, who has a learning disability. Chris is one of the co-leads of IP Ability.
Who is it for?
This event is open to all UK-based IP professionals. It doesn’t matter what type of organisation you work in, what role you play in it or what your career level; everyone is welcome at IP Ability events – including of course disabled people, carers and their allies.
Registration
This event is free. So are all our resources.
That said, we do need money to keep the show on the road, so if you are able, please consider choosing a voluntary donation ticket. or contributing via our Just Giving page. For more information, visit the IP Inclusive fundraising page.
If you have any access requirements, please get in touch with us at [email protected] and we’ll do what we can to help.