“After completing my genetics degree at university I set about trying to work out what to do with the rest of my life. I have always been interested in new technologies and fast moving scientific areas, which was partly behind my choice of degree course, and like investigating the ways complicated things work. However, I did not see a future for me in pipetting in the lab, so I decided that re-training as a lawyer and qualifying into IP / patent law might be a good choice. I quickly found that the contentious side of the law was more appealing to me and if I could combine that with learning about new technologies then IP litigation was perfect.
My career has since given me experience in a wide variety of IP disputes, each one coming with its own peculiarities and challenges. One of the most interesting developments I have had to deal with was on the eve of a patent trial when the expert witness decided to fly back to China overnight without any notice. We had no idea where the expert had gone so explaining the situation to the other side and the Judge wasn’t easy and led to a very busy time re-preparing the case during a short adjournment. All ended well in the end as the case went to trial a few months later once we had a new expert witness on board and perhaps against the odds we prevailed. That same case eventually ending with me arguing in the Court of Appeal about the meaning of the number ‘1’!”
IP Solicitor / A. A. Thornton & Co. / London