My Summer of IP: personal stories #10

Page published on 26th October 2023
Page last modified on 26th October 2023

“The event… was engaging and insightful and inspired me further to work hard and pursue a career in IP.”
– Lucy Brown, Summer of IP alumnus

During the summer of 2023 our Careers in Ideas team coordinated a programme of outreach activities and events, under the Summer of IP banner. They included introductions to the basics about IP and the careers available here, some more specific events to showcase particular types of career, and opportunities such as taster sessions and work experience placements from IP sector employers.

We asked participants to tell us about their Summer of IP experiences, what they learnt and what they enjoyed the most. We’re publishing the resultant blog posts on our website News and Features page throughout the autumn. In this one Lucy Brown, an LLM student at Newcastle University, tells us how an event about IP solicitor and barrister careers inspired her longer-term career choices.

Lucy writes:

In July 2023, I attended IP Inclusive’s online event, “Routes to Legal Qualification for IP Solicitors and Barristers”, hosted by excellent legal professionals, some from Mishcon de Reya LLP. Intellectual property law is not a module I had studied in my undergraduate law degree at Newcastle University, and I knew I wanted to learn more about it.

The session was extremely insightful and provided me with useful knowledge about the world of IP. What stood out particularly were the examples of cases that IP lawyers have encountered, such as underwear advertisements and their potentially objectifying impact on women, or the suggestions of potential legal action for upcoming social media like “Threads.” This area of law is not something I had previously thought about, but this session solidified that IP is the field I would love to pursue a legal career in.

The event was tailored to a range of individuals, such as discussing the difference between IP solicitors and barristers and how the journeys into these professions compare. The professionals gave in-depth, first hand experiences of what firms they had attended, whether they had done law at undergraduate level and other factors which led them to where they are now. This made it a friendly, welcoming experience, and allowed me to think about alternative legal paths.

Lucy Brown

As well as this, the session provided a helpful guide on how to break into this area of law. Tom Wicksteed, one of the admissions team at Mishcon de Reya, spoke on vital tips for a successful application for a training contract. These included ensuring you know the firm inside and out, being as authentic as possible, and keeping up to date with the latest news in the field by reading relevant legal blogs such as “TechnoLlama”. He also made attendees aware that an IP career usually begins in a commercial firm, so advised not to heavily focus on IP in applications and to be flexible and willing to explore other areas. As a recent graduate who finds the application world rather daunting, this was extremely insightful and answered questions I had struggled to find a straightforward explanation to online.

The event finished with a thought-provoking conversation on artificial intelligence, a rapidly developing field, and its potential impacts on the legal profession. I am starting my LLM course in September, with a specific module in AI, and this conversation is one I will remember!

Overall, the event hosted by IP Inclusive was engaging and insightful and inspired me further to work hard and pursue a career in IP. The hosts were excellent at answering any questions, provided top tips, and gave a perfect condensed overview of a career in this field.

Thank you!

 

Our thanks to all the IP professionals and organisations who helped to make Summer of IP a success, and in particular to Mishcon de Reya for organising and hosting the introductory event that Lucy describes.