Whatever kind of career you’re after in the intellectual property (IP) sector, we want you to know that you’ll be welcome here.
We’re doing what we can to ensure the IP professions are accessible to everyone, with entry being based on merit not privilege. And to see that for the people who join, there’s an inclusive and supportive working environment. We want IP sector employers to provide the practical and professional help that individuals need to fulfil their potential. We want a workplace that accommodates, respects and indeed celebrates differences. Everyone is unique – and that’s OK by us.
We’ve asked some of the IP sector organisations – and also our own networking and support communities – to send you messages of welcome. Here’s what they said:
From IP Futures:
[IP Futures is IP Inclusive’s networking and support community for early-career IP professionals: probably a good place to start making friends when you join the IP sector. You can contact them at [email protected].]
IP Futures run events (all virtual for now!) aiming to provide support and networking opportunities for early-career IP professionals. We would love for you to join us in a career where you never stop learning. Amazing progress in improving diversity and inclusivity in the IP professions has been made so far, and IP Futures are on a mission to improve things even further – we are the future of the IP professions after all!
From IP & ME:
[IP & ME is our community for BAME IP professionals and their allies. Contact them at [email protected].]
IP & ME (Minority Ethnic) are excited to welcome you into the IP professions – a fascinating blend of technical, commercial and legal issues. We love working in IP and we hope you will too! 2020 has been an incredibly challenging year but challenges are what makes us stronger. IP & ME are here to support you and provide companionship on your journey regardless of your ethnicity. Please do get in touch!
From IP Ability:
[IP Ability is our community for disabled people, carers and their allies. Contact them at [email protected].]
IP Ability aims to encourage and assist in making the IP professions accessible, inclusive and welcoming for those in the disabled and neurodiverse communities, with health conditions, and in care-giving roles. By raising awareness and understanding of issues relating to disability, neurodiversity and health conditions of all kinds we aim to make employers in the IP sector more disability confident. We welcome Careers in Ideas outreach activities and hope to support and encourage disabled candidates to apply for roles in IP.
From IP Out:
[IP Out is our community for LGBTQ+ IP professionals and their allies. Contact them at [email protected].]
IP Out runs about four free events a year, a mixture of social and educational, the latter focussing on issues relevant to the LGBTQ+ community. They are open to all, including allies. Thinking about a career in IP? Come to one of our events to meet us!
From Women in IP:
[Our Women in IP community provides support and networking focused on issues that predominantly affect women in the IP professions. It’s open to people of all genders including allies. You can get in touch with Women in IP at [email protected].]
We’d love to meet you at one of the events we hold throughout the year – there are coffee dates, panel events and webinars (all virtual at the moment, and all free). These events provide support and education around issues that affect women working in the IP professions, and they also provide networking opportunities. The events are open to people of all genders who are interested in (i) supporting women already working in the IP professions and (ii) encouraging the next generation to come and join us in this exciting field.
From the UK IPO:
[The UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) is the government body responsible for intellectual property rights in the UK, and a major employer of IP professionals.]
The IPO welcomes all eligible applicants for its specialist IP careers and other roles. We value our people and have excellent flexible working options and active staff support networks. We are committed to continuously improving our inclusive culture and benefits for everyone working at the IPO by working with organisations from across government, the professions and other sectors.
From the IP Bar Association:
[The Intellectual Property (IP) Bar Association is the specialist bar association for barristers practising intellectual property law in England and Wales.]
The IP Bar strongly supports IP Inclusive. We believe that it is essential that the IP professions are open to all. We are always happy to be contacted by anyone interested in finding out about the IP Bar. Any of the chambers with IP Bar members will welcome your enquiry:
- Chambers of James Mellor, 8 New Square, Lincoln’s Inn: [email protected], 020 7405 4321
- Chambers of Andrew Waugh, Three New Square, Lincoln’s Inn: [email protected], 020 7405 1111
- Chambers of Iain Purvis, 11 South Square, Gray’s Inn: [email protected], 020 7405 1222
- Hogarth Chambers, 5 New Square, Lincoln’s Inn: [email protected], 020 7404 0404
- One Essex Court, Temple: [email protected], 020 7583 2000
Please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
And from the Careers in Ideas team:
Intellectual property offers career opportunities to people in a wide range of fields: science, law, languages, the creative arts…
Those careers can be both financially and personally rewarding. And you don’t have to be a lawyer acting for private clients: you could take an IP-focused role in the civil service, for example; manage IP in-house for a company or university; become a translator or information scientist; train as an IP paralegal; or provide business support to other IP professionals (for instance in HR, marketing and comms, finance or IT).
This is a sector of growing commercial significance. It has global reach and has proved relatively resilient in times of economic turmoil. So what’s not to like? Don’t miss out: join us now, before everyone else finds out about this niche set of professions…
Page published on 20th November 2020
Page last modified on 20th November 2020