Summer of IP 2024
introductory events & resources:
The full schedule
You can find out here about all our Summer of IP 2024 introductory events, brought to you by our Careers in Ideas team. Some will be broadcast live during July 2024, with the recordings available afterwards in case you can’t be there in person. Others have been pre-recorded for you to watch whenever suits you. You’ll find the recording links below, as they become available.
Unless otherwise stated, these events provide very general information about IP careers and are intended for secondary school and university students as well as graduates and career changers. In fact, they were created for anyone who’s interested in learning more about a career within IP. And they’re all available free of charge.
If you have any specific access requirements, please email us at events@[email protected]Â and we’ll do what we can to help.
Make this count!
As you go, note down the events you’ve attended. You can mention them in your personal statement or covering letter when you apply to join the IP sector.
We’d also love you to send us a short blog post about your Summer of IP experiences, as we’re hoping to publish a series of these on the IP Inclusive and Careers in Ideas websites in the autumn of 2024. You can see the ones we published last year on our Summer of IP 2023 webpage.
At the end of your personal Summer of IP journey, you may find you’re really interested in an IP career. We hope you do! If you’d then like a little help getting your first job, why not sign up to our Careers in Ideas Mentoring Hub?
Pre-recorded events
An introduction to Careers in Ideas and Summer of IP
Available online from Monday 1 July 2024
Join Andrea Brewster OBE (Lead Executive Officer of IP Inclusive) for an introduction and welcome to the Summer of IP 2024 programme. Hear about Careers in Ideas – IP Inclusive’s outreach campaign that seeks to increase the diversity of recruits into the IP professions. Find out about the events and resources they offer, which are targeted at school, college and university students, career changers, and their teachers and careers advisers. And learn why diversifying our intake matters so much to the IP professions.
Andrea will also introduce you to Summer of IP and its aims. You’ll find out about the events and activities on offer this summer – which will enable you to learn about various careers in IP and gain practical experience of an IP workplace – as well as how to get the best out of the programme.
Access the recording at: https://youtu.be/meXf2ck-kEs
Slides available at: https://ipinclusive.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/240701-brewster-CinI-summer-of-ip-intro.pdf
What is intellectual property and why is it important?
Available online from Monday 1 July 2024
Speakers from the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) will lead you through a general introduction to intellectual property (IP) and its relevance to our everyday lives. You’ll learn how the right type of IP can help an organisation or individual to protect the things they create, such as the name of a product, an invention, how something looks, or written or artistic creations. You’ll also hear about the many resources available from the IPO to help school and university students, educators and businesses learn more about IP.
Access the recording at: https://youtu.be/G7lbsbzwI20
Why a career in IP? And why now?
Available online from Monday 1 July 2024
Andrea Brewster OBE, who leads the IP Inclusive initiative behind Careers in Ideas, explains why now is such a great time to be thinking about joining the IP professions.
Access the recording at: https://youtu.be/EqQUL8-y1fw
[You can also read the transcript at https://careersinideas.org.uk/article/why-a-career-in-ideas-and-why-now/].
Careers in IP: roles and pathways
Available online from Monday 1 July 2024
Former patent attorney Julie Barrett, from Purposive Step Consulting, shares her thoughts about entering, and developing, a career in the IP sector. Building on her own experiences, she explains the wide range of roles available; how you can change from one to another within the IP sector; what to consider when planning your IP career; and the transferable skills you’ll gain that can be taken into other fields when you need to. A must-have guide for anyone thinking about joining the IP professions, in any kind of role!
Access the recording at: https://youtu.be/lhaJb5oCC3k
[Please note there is a short section, towards the start of this recording, where sound is briefly lost. Please don’t give up: it’s only a tiny blip and the rest of the recording is fine!]
Working as an IP paralegal
Available online from Monday 1 July 2024
You’ve likely not heard of this career, but there are a range of routes in – for both school leavers and graduates – and good development opportunities. In this webinar, recorded just before our 2023Â Summer of IP campaign, you’ll find out what IP paralegals do, how they train and qualify, how they develop their careers, and how important they are for the department or firm they work in. You’ll learn about working with patents, trade marks and/or registered designs, IP renewals, transactions and even sometimes litigation. And you’ll hear from experienced paralegals, working in both the private and the corporate sectors: they’ll tell you how they found their ideal careers and why they enjoy their work so much.
Access the recording at: https://youtu.be/tJjnfyVitqg
You may also be interested in…
- Our “Meet the IP crowd” videos – short talks by IP professionals in a range of different roles, each talking about the work they do, why they enjoy it and how you can join them. Download the full set of video links here.
A recording of a webinar we ran for Summer of IP 2023, in which a panel of patent professionals told us about their day-to-day roles, how they got to where they are, and the highs and lows of their jobs.
A recording of a Summer of IP 2023 webinar featuring a panel of speakers in various trade mark-related roles, who explained about their roles and responsibilities and gave an insight into what each of them does and how their work and daily activities affect one another.
Another Summer of IP 2023 recording in which we heard from IP professionals working in multi-national companies and learned about the approaches, challenges and opportunities of working “in-house”.
AÂ Summer of IP 2023 recording introducing IP-related careers available in the civil service, including examiner, attorney, IT and communications.
- A recording of our 5 June 2024Â Summer of IP launch event, which included information about a range of IP-related careers.
You can also download the speakers’ slides from that event.
Live events
We hope you’ll be able to join us, either online or in-person, for at least some of our live Summer of IP 2024 events. They provide a more interactive and personal insight into many aspects of working in IP – and if you’re with us in-person, you’ll be able to network afterwards with people who’ve already found their ideal “career in ideas”. We’ll publish recordings of all of them, though, in case you can’t make the live event and want to catch up later.
Many of these events are featured in our Summer of IP 2024 Eventbrite collection.
There are online sign-up forms for all the events. If you have any difficulties with these, or specific access requirements for the events themselves, please email us at [email protected] and we’ll do what we can to help.
Introduction to the different career roles in IP
Monday 1 July 2024, 12.30 pm (online)
Chris Burnett (Birkett Long) provided an introduction to all the various IP career roles in context. He told us a little about each of the roles – from paralegal to patent or trade mark attorney, from IP Office examiner to IP solicitor or barrister, as well as a whole range of business support roles from administration to HR to finance. His talk covered the entry requirements for each role, what it involves and the skills you need for it, to help you get a feel for whether it might be right for you.
Delegates also learned when and how each type of IP professional contributes to the overall process for identifying, protecting, exploiting and enforcing IP rights – and why that process is so important for the businesses of today.
There was a lively audience Q&A session after the main talk, in which Chris provided further information in answer to questions it had inspired.
Register at: registrations closed
Access the recording at: https://youtu.be/-T_rCemWarM
You can also download Chris’s slides here.
Meet the IP professionals
Wednesday 3 July 2024, 4 – 7 pm (London)
This fantastic event involved two sessions: the first on patent careers and the second on trade mark careers. After the panel discussions there was a chance to network over drinks and nibbles, chat to the panellists and make new friends.
- Panel 1 – Patents
Our panel of patent professionals told us about their roles, how they got to where they are, and the highs and lows of their jobs. Delegates heard from a trainee patent attorney in private practice, a qualified patent attorney practising in-house, an IP solicitor and a patent examiner – showing how you can work with patents in a range of environments.
- Panel 2 – Trade marks
Our second panel of speakers held various positions in the trade marks profession. They explained their roles and responsibilities and gave an insight into what each of them does and how their work and daily activities affect one another. Again, they demonstrated the many different environments in which you can work with trade marks.
There was a Q&A session at the end of each panel, for attendees to put their own questions to the speakers. There was also an invaluable networking session before we closed, where delegates could make connections and engage in further discussion on the topics discussed.
This event was kindly hosted by Kilburn & Strode at Lacon London, 84 Theobalds Road, London, WC1X 8NL. It was a joint project with IP Futures, the IP Inclusive community for early-career IP professionals. It was aimed in particular at students and career-changers who are interested in working with patents or trade marks. A STEM background was useful, but not essential.
Although the event itself was in-person, we hope to publish a recording of the panel sessions here soon.
Register at: registrations closed
Access the recording at: link to follow shortly
Introduction to the different forms of IP
Thursday 4 July 2024, 6.30 pm (London & online)
This hybrid event provided a whistle-stop tour of patents, copyright, trade marks and design rights with high-level explanations of what each of the rights are, the law that governs them and some real-life case examples. For in-person attendees, the one-hour presentation was followed by a networking session.
It was kindly hosted by Powell Gilbert at their offices at 85 Fleet Street, London EC4Y 1AE – and also online for those who couldn’t be there in-person. A recording of the main discussions will be available here shortly after the event.
Note that Powell Gilbert are also offering work experience placements in July and September: more details on the Summer of IP employer opportunities page.
Register at: registrations closed
Access the recording at: https://youtu.be/CFGPCQjZ-70
IP careers for computer scientists
Wednesday 10 July 2024, 1 – 2 pm (online)
This webinar explored the IP-related careers that might be particularly suited to people with a computer science or similar background. We heard from a patent attorney, three IP solicitors and an IP Office patent examiner about their roles in the IP system, learning about the importance of IP in protecting innovation in this field – through patents, trade mark registrations, copyright and more. There were insights from both private practice and in-house workplaces, covering all aspects of protecting and exploiting IP from invention mining through to litigation.
The event will have been useful for anyone who has, is studying for, or intends to study for a degree in computer science or a related subject. Since a degree is not always needed for IP careers (for example in trade marks), the webinar could also have value for non-graduates who’d like to work in this technical field.
Register at: registrations closed
Access the recording at: https://youtu.be/TbB8u1kmQ_c
Routes to legal qualification for IP solicitors and barristers
Wednesday 10 July 2024, 6 – 7 pm (online)
Our panellists at this event explained the qualification routes available to become an IP solicitor or barrister and gave guidance on the application procedure, including preparing your CV and interview tips.
They included Nina O’Sullivan, Partner and Head Knowledge Lawyer at Mishcon de Reya (who chaired the discussions); Beth Collett (IP barrister at 8 New Square); and three IP professionals at Mishcon de Reya: associate Chloe Hamilton; trainee solicitor Joanna Lonergan; and Early Careers Manager Tom Wicksteed.
We also allowed delegates to put their own questions to the panellists, some of which had been sent to us beforehand.
This event was kindly organised for us by Mishcon de Reya.
Register at: registrations closed
Access the recording at: https://youtu.be/Rp5F6KOW7m4
Applying to train as a patent or trade mark attorney
Monday 15 July 2024, 4 – 5.30 pm (online)
In this application skills “masterclass”, we provided invaluable guidance for people who want to apply to become patent or trade mark attorneys. Our panellists, either IP attorneys themselves or involved in the recruitment of IP attorneys, talked about CVs, covering letters and interviews, and generally about maximising your chances of success when applying for a traineeship. Delegates also had a chance to speak to them in-person in informal breakout discussions.
Register at: registrations closed
Access the recording at: https://youtu.be/7Em7NB1ywZk
CITMA webinar: Becoming a Chartered Trade Mark Attorney
Wednesday 17 July 2024, 12.30 – 1.30 pm (online)
Attendees joined the Chartered Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys (CITMA) to learn more about the world of intellectual property and the role of a Chartered Trade Mark Attorney.
They covered the basics of what a trade mark attorney does and how you can become one, and offered a look at a fruitful and varied possible career. We also explored what trade marks are and how they work, drawing on some key examples. Plus, attendees gained an insight into the community of trade mark professionals that CITMA can offer, and the networking and career development opportunities that it provides.
Register at: registrations closed
Resources:Â
The slides are available here.
The recording:Â
IP careers in physics & engineering
Wednesday 17 July 2024, 1 – 2 pm (online)
This webinar explored IP-related careers that are particularly suited to people with an engineering, physics or related background.
Attendees heard from patent professionals across the industry, in both private practice and in-house workplaces, speaking about their roles in the IP system and their career paths to those roles. There were insights into the importance of IP in protecting innovation across a range of fields and how patent professionals work with inventors to achieve this aim.
The event was useful for anyone who intends to, is currently studying for, or has graduated from a degree in engineering, physics or a related subject and is considering a career in or related to intellectual property.
For those considering applying for an IP role in the near future, we aimed to give practical advice, equally relevant to recent graduates and working professionals considering a career change.
Register at: registrations closed
Access the recording at: https://youtu.be/IrsZ3U8ftvw
IP careers for students of chemical and biological sciences
Thursday 18 July 2024, 1 – 2 pm (online)
This webinar explored the IP-related careers that might be particularly suited to people with a background in chemical and biological sciences. As in the event above, we heard from patent attorneys, IP solicitors and IP Office patent examiners about their roles in the IP system, and learnt how important IP is for innovations in this field, in particular through patents. Again there were insights from both private practice and in-house workplaces, covering all aspects of protecting and exploiting IP from invention mining through to litigation.
The event was provided in conjunction with the Royal Society of Chemistry Law Group. It was useful for anyone who has, is studying for, or intends to study for any degree in chemical sciences, biological sciences and related subjects. It also had value for individuals working in these scientific fields and considering a career change.
Register at: registrations closed
The recording:
Life as an IP solicitor / barrister
Thursday 18 July 2024, 6.30 pm (London & online)
This panel discussion, roughly an hour in length, provided an opportunity to find out what being an IP solicitor or IP barrister is really like. Our panel included solicitors from Powell Gilbert as well as barristers from some of the leading IP chambers. Delegates were able to submit questions to the panel in advance and there was plenty of time to ask questions on the day. For in-person attendees, the discussion was followed by a networking session.
It was a hybrid event, kindly hosted by Powell Gilbert at their offices at 85 Fleet Street, London EC4Y 1AE – and also online for those who couldn’t be there in-person. A recording of the main discussions will be available here shortly.
Note that Powell Gilbert are also offering work experience placements in July and September: more details on the Summer of IP employer opportunities page.
Register at: registrations closed
Recording to follow shortly
IP Futures summer drinks reception & networking evening
Thursday 15 August 2024, 5.30 pm (London)
We are excited to announce that IP Futures, in partnership with the Summer of IP programme, will be hosting a networking event in August. This mixed social gathering is designed to bring together emerging and established IP professionals for an evening of connection and camaraderie. Enjoy a relaxed atmosphere with drinks and snacks, where you can expand your professional network, share insights and explore new opportunities within the vibrant IP community.
IP Futures is an IP Inclusive community specifically for early-career IP professionals with up to 6 years of experience.
Their Summer of IP event is kindly hosted by Finnegan Europe LLP at their London offices located at 1 London Bridge.
As alcohol will be served, this event will be strictly 18+.
Register at: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/949838932817?aff=oddtdtcreator
Employer opportunities
As part of Summer of IP, several IP sector employers are offering activities and events to help you get a better feel for your ideal IP career. Some of these are “taster” sessions, others are full work experience placements. All are being generously provided, free of charge, to Summer of IP participants. You’ll find a full listing on our “employer opportunities” page. Hurry, though – places are limited and there are application deadlines to meet!
Before you take part in any Summer of IP employer activity, we recommend you watch at least the first three pre-recorded events above and Chris Burnett’s “Introduction to the different career roles in IP” talk on 1 July (or its recording afterwards). They’ll explain how Summer of IP works and give you an overview of the IP sector and the wide range of careers available here. They’ll help you decide which of the career(s) you’re particularly interested in, so that you can watch recordings of other events, or attend employer activities, that cover them in more detail.
Some of the later introductory events explain routes into particular careers, even helping you to put your application together or giving you a chance to hear from people who already work in IP. We hope you enjoy them!
For more information about the campaign, return to our main Summer of IP 2024 webpage.