London, Leeds & Exeter
Fri 20th Nov 2020
Championing equality, diversity and inclusion in the intellectual property profession with new think tank
Services: Learning and development, Patents, Trade marks
Sectors:
On 10 November 2020 David Roberts, partner and patent attorney with Page White and Farrer, joined over 30 IP professionals to establish a new high-level diversity think tank.
The ‘think tank’, proposed by IP Inclusive and supported by the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys and the Chartered Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys, is devoted to improving diversity and inclusion in the intellectual property profession.
The project brings together senior and managing partners to share ideas and ensure that diversity and inclusion can be championed at the highest levels in partners’ meetings and boardrooms, to ensure it gets the recognition, resources and support it needs.
The meeting identified five key areas where positive change could be implemented within the sector:
- adopt and encourage best practices in internal systems and procedures;
- raise awareness of the intellectual property professions among a wider range of potential recruits, in particular those in currently under-represented groups;
- widen access to the profession through recruitment processes, more creative onboarding and support schemes;
- improve the quality of diversity data available in the profession and its use to benchmark and incentivise progress; and
- increase engagement with diversity and inclusion issues among colleagues, at all levels of the organisation.
"We’ve seen huge support for diversity and inclusion from across the patent and trade mark professions,” says Andrea Brewster, Lead Executive Officer of IP Inclusive. “This new think tank, underpinned by collaboration and shared goals, allows change to be both driven and nurtured from the top, by people with the power to shape the whole sector’s future."
For more information about this think tank, please visit the IP Inclusive website.
This briefing is for general information purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for legal advice relating to your particular circumstances. We can discuss specific issues and facts on an individual basis. Please note that the law may have changed since the day this was first published in November 2020.
