Disclaimer: Our trainee blogs are written by trainees for trainees, offering career insights and industry perspectives.
CIPA student conference 2024
On 18th April 2024 CIPA (the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys) hosted its annual Student Conference at the Crowne Plaza hotel in Birmingham. The event (aimed at trainee patent attorneys in the early stages of their career) involves a series of talks and is renowned for giving trainees across the UK the opportunity to connect and network with one another. The patent profession in the UK is fairly small, so there is a good chance the trainees at the student conference will continue to interact with each other throughout their careers.
Non-traditional career paths
Following introductions from Lee Davies (Chief Executive of CIPA) and Ashley Tambe (Honorary Secretary of the CIPA Informals Committee), the first panel of the day consisted of panellists Philip Lenden (Simplify IP), Daryl Bradley (Arm Ltd), Debbie Slater (Prevayl Ltd) and Florian Baant-Hegemark (Concept IP) discussing non-traditional career paths. The panellists talked about their varied careers, demonstrating to some newer trainees the freedom available to patent attorneys. For example, being a patent attorney is not limited to working in a private firm or in-house. There are many unconventional opportunities available. The main take away from this panel discussion was not to be scared to pursue opportunities that appear to deviate from the conventional career path of a patent attorney.
The “New EQE”
Julia Gwilt, Appleyard Lees Partner, and Guy Warner (Head of Invention Strategy, BAT) led the discussion on the new EQE (European Qualifying Exam). Julia discussed how the transitionary period will affect candidates who were due to sit the pre-EQE (the “old” EQE’s) in 2025, and how candidates who started after March 2023 will be eligible to enrol onto the new system. Guy then provided useful study tips for those sitting the current set of papers A-D in 2025. As the EQE evolves over the next few years there will be lots of changes to consider. (Read about some of these changes here and here).
Starting out in patents
The session ‘Starting out in patents’ was led by Penelope Aspinall (Jonathan’s Voice*), Andrea Brewster (IP Inclusive**) and Elisabeth Pauli. Entering the patent profession can be daunting and involves a steep learning curve. Elisabeth, who is a trainee patent attorney at Dehns, discussed her experience of joining the profession including the struggles she had, and imposter syndrome that she felt. Penelope and Andrea then outlined practical coping strategies for adjusting to the challenges that many trainees face. This session facilitated an open and relatable discussion of the challenges that accompany working in the patent profession and signposted the important support systems that are available.
Moot court
In the afternoon a moot court session was held to help provide an insight into the contentious side of patent law. Essentially, a moot court is a mock judicial proceeding where participants take opposing sides of a hypothetical dispute. In this case, the dispute related to infringement proceedings, where a patent proprietor was alleging infringement of their UK patent for a nicotine patch, by one of their competitors (the opponents). As a defence, the opponents alleged that the UK patent was invalid and should therefore be revoked.
Over the course of the proceedings, arguments and witness statements were put forward by representatives from each side, who were all trainee patent attorneys, in reality. This culminated in a judgement being handed down by a judge who adjudicated the proceedings. Ultimately, the judge found that the patent was, in fact, invalid for lack of sufficiency, i.e., the claims were insufficiently supported by the description across their full scope of protection. Overall, the session was very insightful and entertaining, with both sides giving compelling arguments. This was certainly a highlight of the day!
Business development in IP
The final talk of the day was given by Paul McCartney (E Business Coaching – not the rock star) who discussed how intellectual property fits into and supports businesses. It was interesting to consider how intellectual property may be viewed from the perspective of a client, as well as to understand the steps required to establish a business, as some of the speakers discussed in the talk on non-traditional career paths.
The talks throughout the conference provided a helpful insight into what trainees can look forward to throughout their career in IP as well as signposting where support is available. Between the talks, not only was there a chance to chat with and meet other trainees, but there were also stations set up by Jonathan’s Voice* and the Informals Committee*** to inform trainees on how they could get involved with these support systems.
The day concluded with a drinks reception where trainees were able to introduce themselves to one another or to catch up. Overall, the conference was certainly a success. Keep your eyes on the CIPA website for next year’s conference if you would like to attend.
* Jonathan’s Voice is a charity set up in the memory of Jonathan McCartney to increase the understanding of mental health in the workplace.
** IP Inclusive promotes promote equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) throughout the UK’s IP professions.
***Informals Committee (The Yellow Sheet) volunteer trainees who host events all over the country and online including sports events, coffee clubs and mentoring schemes)
