Career Alternatives to Private Practice

Neil Parkinson, Director of Patent Unit UK, Ericsson

A former Partner of Marks & Clerk and IP Counsel for Nortel Networks, Neil joined Ericsson in the UK in 2007 as a patent attorney supporting activities in the UK and Italy. He has been manager of the UK Patent Unit for over 10 years, interrupted by a 2 year assignment to Ericsson HQ in Stockholm, during which he was responsible for driving several strategic patent portfolios as well as the cross-functional IPR & Licensing strategy team. Neil currently leads a team of a dozen people, while also driving global IPR projects within Ericsson.

Dr Anna Molony, Co-founder & Director, Two IP

Anna co-founded her first patent firm, Chapman Molony, in 2003. After almost 10 years’ building Chapman Molony, she decided she wanted a better work-life balance, so she sold out of Chapman Molony and set up Ingenium IP. In 2020, just as the global pandemic hit, Anna decided that it was time to provide a vehicle for other patent attorneys to enjoy the work-life balance she had achieved. So she evolved Ingenium IP into Two IP, a ‘new breed consultancy model’ patent and trade mark firm, which enables consultant attorneys to work for their own clients under the Two IP brand and within Two IP’s ecosystem of back office, patent formalities and business support functions.

Phil Sanger, Director, Grey Wolf IP

After a short career as an engineer followed by 9 years with Withers & Rogers, Phil founded his own firm, Vault IP, in 2014. The firm grew from start up to 7 attorneys and paralegals, serving clients in sectors including engineering, academia, and latterly software, as well as incorporating a trade mark practice. In 2021 he decided it was time to take a new direction, so he left Vault IP and set up his current firm, Grey Wolf IP which offers a more niche engineering patent service to a smaller group of clients, primarily start-ups and IP-heavy SMEs.

Deborah Niven, Partner, Gunnercooke

Deborah became a consultant at Gunnercooke in 2015. She specialises in intellectual property, information technology law and commercial law. Deborah advises clients in all issues relating to intellectual property, including trade mark protection, design right and copyright. She also assists clients in commercialising their IP through drafting licence agreements, helping clients to set up appropriate contracts with businesses they are collaborating with, ensuring that supply agreements protect those assets and drafting terms and conditions, distribution agreements and agency agreements. Gunnercooke is one of the ‘new breed of consultancy model’ law firms.

James Daglish, Partner, Keystone Law

James joined Keystone Law in September 2020, following 18 years at Goodman Derrick LLP. He is a leisure and hospitality sector expert with over 15 years’ experience advising on real estate and licensing matters. His clients include an extensive and wide-range of restaurants, pubs, cafe chains, nightclubs, and investors. Keystone is one of the ‘new breed of consultancy model’ law firms.

Douglas McPherson, Director, Size 10 ½ Boots

Douglas has had a long career in marketing and business development within professional services that began with his tenure as Sales & Marketing Manager for Patent World, Trade Mark World and Copyright World in 1995, a role that saw him quickly become a veteran of INTA and AIPPI.

For the last ten years he has been a director of Size 10½ Boots Ltd, a specialist BD agency that works solely with IP firms, law firms, accountants and barristers’ chambers. Tenandahalf were set up to help professional service firms find smarter, easier, and more effective ways to grow their practices and continue to work closely with both CIPA and CITMA.

Doug has written 3 books about marketing and business development for the professional services and is the host of Tenandahalf’s CoffeeCast, a regular podcast that shares BD best practice.