Student Conference 2023

Audience

Students, Members, Non Members

Programme & Speakers

• 09.00 – 10.00 Tea & Coffee – Registration

  Speakers

  Tea & Coffee

  Tea & Coffee

  – Tea and coffee
  – Regular and Soya milk available
  – Water, Coke, Diet Coke and San Pellegrino
  – Muffins
  – Bananas

• 10.00 – 10.15 - Welcome & Introduction

  Speakers

  

  Parminder Lally, Appleyard Lees

  Parminder Lally, Appleyard Lees

  Parminder is a UK and European patent attorney and a Partner at Appleyard Lees. She joined the patent profession in 2011 and specialises in drafting and prosecuting patent applications for computer-implemented inventions, including AI.

  Parminder is currently a member of CIPA Council, the Chair of CIPA’s Education Committee (EdCom) and on CIPA’s Computer Technology Committee. Parminder is particularly passionate about ensuring student members have access to training and learning opportunities, and support, wherever they work or are based. In her spare time, she writes her brAIn blog and tries to grow her own veg

• 10.15 – 11.00 - Post-Qualification Guidance Panellist Discussion

  Speakers

  Emily Weal, Keltie

  Emily Weal, Keltie

  Emily specialises in the fields of materials science, engineering and design. She leads the Advanced Materials and Manufacturing practice at Keltie, and co-leads the Design Group. Her practice covers a wide range of technical fields including nanotechnology, glass processing, advanced materials, energy storage, construction, packaging, food technology, medical devices, automotive and aerospace engineering, electronics, software and user interfaces.

  Emily focuses on providing practical, business-led advice, with an eye on commercial as well as legal leverage, and an understanding of the IP challenges that businesses of all sizes face, from start-ups and small design houses to SMEs and large corporations. She often works with in-house legal teams to support their IP activities, and has undertaken in-house secondments at multinational corporations, which has involved consulting on strategic aspects of IP management and assisting with training.

  Her experience includes drafting and prosecuting patent applications, EPO oppositions and appeals, validity and freedom-to-operate opinions, due diligence projects, day-to-day management of global IP portfolios and strategic advice on contentious and non-contentious issues. She also helps guide clients through IP matters arising in research collaborations and joint venture projects.

  In addition to her work as a patent attorney Emily has extensive experience in design rights, particularly in global design filing strategies, design searching and clearance projects, and strategic advice regarding clearance and contentious matters. She has helped many clients successfully navigate the minefield of design rights to enforce their rights, defend against allegations of infringement, and invalidate registered design rights.

  

  Rose Hughes, AstraZeneca

  Rose Hughes, AstraZeneca

  Rose is a Patent Director at AstraZeneca, where she manages global IP strategy for large molecule and cell therapy programs across the pipeline. Rose also writes as “PatKat” for IPKat, one of Europe’s leading intellectual property and patent blogs. Rose previously worked in private practice and has a PhD in immunology from UCL.

  

  Philip Lenden, Simplify IP

  Philip Lenden, Simplify IP

  Phil founded his solo practice, Simplify IP, in 2022. He has worked as a patent attorney for over 10 years, both in small and large private practice firms, and in house for a global sustainable technology company. He has a chemistry specialism, and has practiced in areas including battery materials, renewable energy sources, OLEDs, food compositions, cleaning products, and small molecule pharmaceuticals and formulations.

  He founded Simplify IP to focus on providing clear, understandable, and commercially relevant IP advice relating to both mature and emerging technologies, making full advantage of his experience of working in different areas of patent practice, and using the flexibility afforded by going solo to provide a tailored service for all shapes and sizes of client.

  Phil is passionate about diversity and inclusion within intellectual property, especially neurodiversity, gender inequalities, and socioeconomic barriers to entry to the patent profession.

• 11.00 – 11.45 - Introduction to Informals & IPReg

  Speakers

  

  Kathryn Taylor, Ocado

  Kathryn Taylor, Ocado

  Kathryn is a part-qualified patent attorney in the in-house IP team at Ocado, mostly working on drafting and prosecuting patent applications to protect different aspects of technology for automated storage systems. Kathryn holds an MPhys in Physics from the University of Oxford, a PhD in physics from the University of Nottingham, an MSc in Engineering from Open University, and is a Chartered Engineer. After 10 years working in industry as an engineer, Kathryn joined the patent profession in 2019. Kathryn is the Hon Sec of CIPA Informals, heading the committee and representing student members of CIPA.

  

  Timothy Powell, Potter Clarkson

  Timothy Powell, Potter Clarkson

  Timothy Powell is a knowledgeable patent attorney with more than 30 years’ experience of innovation protection in high-technology engineering disciplines, contested proceedings before the European Patent Office and patent litigation in the UK.

  He has had extensive exposure to corporate due diligence reporting and additionally founded the firm’s dedicated team for clients in the cleantech industry. He also has considerable international expertise, and regularly presents papers on aspects of intellectual property to universities and business audiences in the UK, US, China, Korea and elsewhere. Tim has also regularly contributed to the Inside Careers Guide to Chartered Patent Agents and has published numerous papers on intellectual property subjects.

  A full or substitute member of the Council of the European Patents Institute for approximately fifteen years, Tim remains active on its professional conduct and finance committees.

• 11.45 – 12.15 - Refreshment break

  Speakers

  Refreshment break

  Refreshment break

  – Tea and coffee
  – Regular and Soya milk available
  – Water, Coke, Diet Coke and San Pellegrino
  – Shortbread
  – Fruit skewers

• 12.15 – 13.00 - Managing stress in the workplace

  Speakers

  

  Penelope Aspinall, Jonathan’s Voice

  Penelope Aspinall, Jonathan’s Voice

  Penny has nearly 30 years’ experience as a counsellor, psychotherapist and trainer, working in a range of settings, including Zeneca (Huddersfield), Arla Foods, the NHS and in private practice as a counselling and organisational mental health consultant. However, most of her career has been spent working in Higher Education, most recently at the University of Bradford as Head of Disability, Counselling and Mental Health. After leaving Bradford in 2018, she joined the Charlie Waller Trust where she continues to work as a developing and delivering training and creating written materials for both Charlie Waller and Jonathan’s Voice.  She joined Jonathan’s voice as Mental Health Consultant and trainer in March 2022

• 13.00 – 14.00 - Lunch

  Speakers

  Lunch

  Lunch

  – Tea and coffee
  – Regular and Soya milk available
  – Water, Coke, Diet Coke and San Pellegrino
  – Philly cheesesteak brioche sub roll, sautéed rump steak & onions, melted provolone cheese
  – Vegan feta & tomato hummus wrap, spring onion, avocado & cucumber
  – Grilled black bream, cherry vine tomatoes, garlic, red chilli & samphire
  – Spring greens mac ‘n cheese, béchamel sauce, Gruyère cheese, Parmesan crumb
  – Fries
  – Sautéed field mushrooms garlic, chilli & parsley
  – Chocolate mousse, honeycomb & crème fraîche
  – Fresh fruit salad

• 14.00 – 15.00 - What’s BD Got To Do With It

  Speakers

  

  Michael Evans, BDforIP

  Michael Evans, BDforIP

  Michael works together with attorneys, intellectual property firms and departments around the world to help them realize their business development goals. He has specialized in delivering business opportunities in the IP legal field with both clients and associates around the world since 2003, establishing BDforIP in 2015. He has a proven track record in international sales, account management, and business development, as well as strong client-facing skills, experience at dealing at all levels of an organisation and identifying business opportunities.  Specialties: Business Development Mentorship / Client Retention / Client Growth / Soft Skills Training / Business Networking

  

  Parminder Lally, Appleyard Lees

  Parminder Lally, Appleyard Lees

  Parminder is a UK and European patent attorney and a Partner at Appleyard Lees. She joined the patent profession in 2011 and specialises in drafting and prosecuting patent applications for computer-implemented inventions, including AI.

  Parminder is currently a member of CIPA Council, the Chair of CIPA’s Education Committee (EdCom) and on CIPA’s Computer Technology Committee. Parminder is particularly passionate about ensuring student members have access to training and learning opportunities, and support, wherever they work or are based. In her spare time, she writes her brAIn blog and tries to grow her own veg

• 15.00 – 15.45 - New EQE

  Speakers

  

  Julia Gwilt, Appleyard Lees

  Julia Gwilt, Appleyard Lees

  Julia Gwilt is a partner at Appleyard Lees and specialises in software inventions.

  She has had a passion for training for over 15 years.  As one of the patent attorney members who established the Patent Examination Board (PEB), she oversaw the UK professional examinations for over six years until her term ended in 2020.  She is now chair of the epi Profession Education Committee which oversees training and other aspects of the EQE for trainee European patent attorneys.  Several members of the PEC have been heavily involved in the proposal for a new digital EQE.

• 15.45 – 16.15 - Refreshment break

  Speakers

  Refreshment break

  Refreshment break

  – Tea and coffee
  – Regular and Soya milk available
  – Water, Coke, Diet Coke and San Pellegrino
  – Cake of the day
  – Grapes

• 16.15 – 17.25 - Moot Court Session

  Speakers

  

  Chris Mercer, CIPA Council

  Chris Mercer, CIPA Council

  Chris Mercer joined the patent profession in 1975 and passed the UK Finals exams in 1979. For the majority of his career, Chris was either a partner or a consultant for Carpmaels & Ransford, with a large practice in oppositions and appeals at the EPO and litigation before the UK courts. Chris is a member of Council for CIPA and is also on a number of CIPA committees, including the Education, Patents and Litigation Committees. He is also on epi’s Council and on various epi Committees and was a founding member of EPLIT. Chris is a former president of both CIPA and epi. He appeared as an advocate in a Moot Court event in 1977.

  

  Joel David Briscoe, IP Consultant, JDB Intellectual Property

  Joel David Briscoe, IP Consultant, JDB Intellectual Property

  Joel has been in the profession for 6 years prosecuting, drafting, opposing and appealing decisions on related patents and patent applications at the UKIPO, USPTO, and EPO. Joel also has experience in international portfolio management. Recently, Joel has been consulting for large and international patent firms based in the UK and the US. Joel’s background is in Physics, and he has been working in the field of telecoms, electronics, aerosol generating devices, automotive technology, and software.

  This year is Joel’s 5th year on the Informals committee, having previously been the blog editor, yellow sheet editor, and the Honorary Secretary. After last years’ successful return of the Moot Court, Joel is really looking forward to the second competition under his tenure, which is only going to be bigger and better than last years competition.

• 17.25 – 17.35 - Closing remarks

  Speakers

  

  Parminder Lally, Appleyard Lees

  Parminder Lally, Appleyard Lees

  Parminder is a UK and European patent attorney and a Partner at Appleyard Lees. She joined the patent profession in 2011 and specialises in drafting and prosecuting patent applications for computer-implemented inventions, including AI.

  Parminder is currently a member of CIPA Council, the Chair of CIPA’s Education Committee (EdCom) and on CIPA’s Computer Technology Committee. Parminder is particularly passionate about ensuring student members have access to training and learning opportunities, and support, wherever they work or are based. In her spare time, she writes her brAIn blog and tries to grow her own veg

• 17.35 – 19.00 - Drinks Reception and Canapés

  Speakers

  Drinks reception and Canapés

  Drinks reception and Canapés

  – Chicory & goats cheese boats, pear & hazelnut vinaigrette – Gluten Free
  – Sesame & tomato Hummus flatbread – Vegan
  – Oak smoked Salmon, orange, vodka cream & peashoots
  – Chicken karaage, siracha mayo
  – Truffle & parmesan arancini, truffle mayo
  – Onion Bhajis, coconut yoghurt raita – Vegan