Joining Carpmaels & Ransford has allowed me to move out of my comfort zone and gain experience in areas I was never exposed to at my previous firm.

Prior to entering the patent profession, I studied an integrated Master’s degree in Chemistry at the University of Leeds. During my time at university, I spent a year in industry working in the polyurethanes research and development lab for one of the world’s largest chemical companies.

I began my patent attorney training in the chemistry department of another leading patent and trademark firm in London. After spending a few years training at this firm, I decided that I wanted to gain more experience working on contentious pharmaceutical patent cases, something that Carpmaels & Ransford is renowned for. I also saw moving to Carpmaels & Ransford as an opportunity to develop professionally by gaining experience in areas I hadn’t worked in before, such as SPCs, pharmaceutical regulation and global litigation. These are areas that I was able to get involved with from day one upon joining the firm. I can see that I am gaining a lot of experience in contentious matters and learning how to become a good advocate. I feel I can continue to grow and develop, and contribute new ideas to the team and beyond.

The thing that surprised me most about working at Carpmaels & Ransford is how much of a collaborative approach the firm takes to work.

There are always people there to support me when working on a case and we regularly get together to bounce ideas around. You are given a lot of responsibility from day one and your contribution is really valued by the people you work with. The partners and senior associates will always give you credit for your work and will let clients know if your contribution was pivotal in achieving a successful outcome. The firm also allows you to communicate directly with clients, so you personally build strong relationships with the clients you are working with.

I enjoy just how many different activities there are available to get involved with at the firm. I have recently joined the Social Mobility Foundation mentoring programme where I mentor high-achieving young people from low-income backgrounds. I have also enjoyed joining the softball team where we play matches against other patent firms throughout the summer. I also particularly like contributing to the case law updates and guidelines reviews that we host for our clients, it’s a great way to keep up to date with the latest developments whilst also increasing exposure with clients.