My Summer of IP: personal stories #5

This post is from Sanya Sethi, an LLM candidate (Intellectual Property and Information Law) at King’s College London. She explains what she learned from the Summer of IP taster events and workshops she attended in the patent and trade mark sector.

Sanya writes:

I wanted to reach out to thank you for organising the Summer of IP campaign and share my experience about the same. Below are my thoughts –

As an international student in the UK coming from a diverse racial and ethnic background, I was extremely excited to learn about IP Inclusive’s Summer of IP campaign 2023 from their website. I developed an interest in IP during my undergraduate degree in law, which guided my decision to pursue an LLM specialising in IP from King’s College London. The campaign provided the perfect opportunity for me to learn more about the profession and the opportunities that it advances.

For instance, the taster day organised by Abel & Imray at their London office not only allowed me to know about the various roles that the firm offers but also to hear about the first-hand views of its current trainees about the firm’s culture. In this regard, talking to one of its current trainee trade mark attorneys was an insightful experience. I particularly enjoyed participating in the patent claim drafting and the CV and application form drafting workshops. The latter also gave me an idea about what the firm looks for while shortlisting its candidates.

Similarly, the panel discussion on the profession and application tips at Potter Clarkson’s open day was predominantly led by the women in the firm, which demonstrated its commitment to diversity. Moreover, the open day at Marks & Clerk made me realise the importance of support roles in the profession. In this regard, one of the members of the firm quoted – “paralegals were created because lawyers need help,” which stood out for me. It also made me realise the tremendous importance of cover letters in differentiating one’s application and ensuring that there are no errors in the same. Additionally, it was insightful to know what a typical day in the life of a trainee looks like and some of the interesting cases that the firm has dealt with in the past.

While the opportunity to attend these events in-person was an enriching experience, I also enjoyed participating in the virtual events conducted by some firms. For instance, the “IP Detective” workshop organised by AA Thornton provided an opportunity to participate in interesting discussions on multiple areas of intellectual property via virtual break-out rooms. Moreover, the virtual open day organised by Boult Wade Tennant was another opportunity that widened my horizons through multiple presentations by various members of the firm. Given that it was virtual, it was also possible to hear from its members across its different regional offices.

Overall, taking part in these events has further strengthened my interest in pursuing a career in IP.

Our thanks to all the IP professionals and organisations who helped to make Summer of IP a success, and in particular to Abel & Imray, Potter Clarkson, Marks & Clerk, AA Thornton and Boult Wade Tennant for organising the events that Sanya describes.