David attenborough. I was interested in animals, plants and how organisms evolved to be the way they are. I studied at the university of Sheffield, which is right next to the Peak District, which meant we had nature on our doorstep.
During my final year, I worked on projects concerning plant diseases that had industrial applicability for biotechnology companies. I became fascinated by the cross-over between science and law and the incentives such as patents that are used to drive innovation. I had always been interested in bioethics and the philosophy of science, so the pathway into law was a natural step.
Biology is fundamentally about understanding systems, which is often achieved through spotting and analysing patterns. This type of analytical thinking is key to being a litigator. Studying science also teaches you that so much of the world is not understood. IP litigation is always filled with new challenges and interesting technologies to understand, so being comfortable knowing that there is so much to learn and being curious to find out more helps a lot.
Incredibly varied, which keeps the job interesting. I’m involved in many different cases with different technical subject matter. Many cases involve coordinating international litigation, which means liaising with local counsel across the world. My time is otherwise spent talking to experts, drafting documents and correspondence, and attending meetings.
I split my time roughly equally between working at home and from the office. Powell Gilbert is a great place to be on a Wednesday when we have our weekly afternoon tea.
The end of a case! You often spend one or two years working with incredibly interesting experts learning about a niche area of technology. At the end of the case, you have acquired so much knowledge that never comes up in a pub quiz round.
I have been lucky to work on a number of cases involving biotechnology, electronics and telecoms. My most recent case involved the manufacturing of algal oils which was a great fit with my technical background.
Fungi produced products. They are such interesting organisms and are already being used to make a wide range of interesting bioproducts.
Use the way you have been taught to think as an advantage in solving legal problems. Scientists often approach tasks differently and this is a great asset.
The legendary PG Christmas and birthday parties. Yes, we celebrate the firm’s birthday every year!
RFID-enabled self-service checkout. It’s magical.
I hatched some ducklings with my friends when living in halls in my first year at university.
