In this blog post for Summer of IP 2026, Kadija Begum shares her experience attending one of our Introductory Events in London, which brought together would-be, emerging and established intellectual property professionals for an evening of networking.
Kadija writes:
I first heard about this event through IP Inclusive and Careers in Ideas and having recently finished a chemistry degree at King’s College London, I was keen to use the summer to learn as much as I could about a career in intellectual property. On Friday 17 July 2026 I attended the IP Futures Networking Social event at Freshfields, and it turned out to be exactly the kind of insight I’d been looking for.
I had a great time meeting people from right across the profession, including patent attorneys, solicitors and paralegals, as well as patent litigators and copyright attorneys. Alongside the qualified professionals there were also graduates and people on gap years who are, like me, just starting to find their way into the profession, which opened honest conversations about what it’s like starting out.
The most useful part of the evening for me was talking to people who had taken quite different routes into IP. There wasn’t one single path that everyone had followed, for example, I met someone who went from working as a police officer to then becoming a patent litigator. This made the profession feel a lot more accessible than it can seem from the outside, especially coming from a science background rather than a law one
I also picked up some practical advice about what firms tend to look for in someone starting out, which has given me a clearer sense of what to focus on as I go into the other IP events I have lined up this summer.
Finally, I want to say a huge thank you to IP Inclusive and Careers in Ideas for organising the evening, and to everyone at Freshfields who took the time to talk to us and answer our questions so openly.
Last Updated: July 23, 2026