On Thursday 19 June 2025 IP Inclusive Scotland Network held an in person event exploring social mobility in the IP Professions, kindly hosted by HGF Limited.
Amy Dawson, patent attorney at HGF Limited writes:
We have all heard the rumours that you must come from a particular social background to succeed in the intellectual property industry; you must know the right people, attend the right schools and universities. The team at IP Inclusive in Scotland, with the support of HGF Limited, hosted an event to try and put an end to these rumours and discuss ideas of how we can make IP inclusive for everyone, regardless of socio-economic status.
The event hosted at HGF Glasgow involved an introduction to the current issues faced by the IP industry, including that candidates entering the industry predominantly come from Oxbridge or Russell group universities, and that around 21% of those in the profession have been privately educated. The hosts at HGF then provided an insight into ways to tackle this problem, including getting more children from all backgrounds into STEM through school outreach programs and to introduce fairer and more transparent hiring practices.
An insightful roundtable discussion was then had, where contributors from different private practice firms and in house attorneys offered suggestions of how we can all make steps to improve. The biggest takeaway was that it is essential to promote social mobility from a young age, and that making children aware of STEM careers and the IP industry is one of the key factors in improving the diversity of candidates entering the profession.
Useful cross firm initiatives were also discussed, including hosting internships as part of the European Patent Pipeline Program (participating firms in the UK include Murgitroyd and Kilburn & Strode), and the Institute of Physics campaign to support young people.
This was an insightful evening, with positive energy and attitude to make the IP profession inclusive for people of all backgrounds.
Great turnout from the Scottish IP community.
For more ideas about access to the IP Professions, please see our outreach arm Careers in Ideas.
