First Impressions December 2016

Kit Carter joined the Dispute Resolution team at Carpmaels & Ransford in October 2016.

“There is an increasingly loud buzz in the IP community about Carpmaels’ dispute resolution (DR) practice, and it is not just coming from the bee hive on their roof! Bees seem to be an appropriate analogy for my first impressions of Carpmaels. There is effective cross pollination between the litigators and the patent attorneys, we are busy all day but there is still time to get out into the sunshine and the results of the combined efforts are, well, “sweet” to use a term favoured by my 8 year-old son.

I was drawn to the firm by the people. Everyone I met at Carpmaels was genuinely enthusiastic about work and about life. I had the impression this would not be a place characterised by the overworked, world-weary and exhausted. I am happy to report that I was right.

The ethos of the firm has been formed over its 200+ years as an outstanding patent attorney practice. This is a firm that understands IP like no one else and knows how to get the best out of their people.

From the outside, I wondered how successful the transplantation of a DR practice into this thriving firm would be. I have discovered that there is a huge amount of goodwill between the litigators and patent attorneys and this results in really productive and creative teams. The DR practice has successfully integrated into the firm.

There is no shortage of top quality work, but being at Carpmaels is not all about head down with timers running. It is appreciated that it is an essential part of providing the best possible client service to carve out time to learn from each other, to discuss important developments in the world of IP and contribute to the ongoing development of the firm. Some might say there are a lot of meetings at Carpmaels, but they are that rare thing of being good and useful meetings.

I have been able to get stuck in with interesting work from day one. I am never happier than when a patent lands on my desk and I get to dive into a new technology, new client and applying law, strategy and science to help my clients achieve their objectives. In my first month I picked up two new matters and there are more coming down the track. It is an exciting time to be part of this growing team.”

Aled Richards-Jones joined Carpmaels & Ransford as an employed barrister in the Dispute Resolution team in October 2016 after qualifying at a leading specialist intellectual property barristers’ chambers in London.

“Being recently qualified, I was keen to join a firm that could offer exposure to the highest quality work in an environment that was forward-looking, innovative and entrepreneurial. Having trained as a barrister across the full spectrum of IP rights, I was also keen to build on my broad previous experience.  Carpmaels has offered a fantastic environment for all of these aspirations.

Since joining, I have had the chance to contribute to a wide range of cases, from patent actions involving medical devices, to EPO oppositions involving blockbuster drugs and a High Court trade mark licensing dispute. Alongside that, I have worked on design rights, confidential information and copyright matters.  With an academic background in chemistry, I was keen to do as much life sciences work as I was able to, whilst continuing to develop my experience in other areas of IP.  Carpmaels has offered the best of all worlds in this respect.

Another invaluable aspect to working at Carpmaels is the focus on knowledge sharing and development. On day one, I was able to attend a seminar on a recent Court of Appeal decision relating to second medical use patent claims at which partners, associates and technical assistants contributed.  Opportunities like these make keeping on top of the latest case law easy and collaborative.

The vision of litigators and patent attorneys collaborating under one roof offers an exciting environment for a recently qualified litigator. I am gaining exposure to areas of patent law that my contemporaries at traditional firms will only get a glimpse of before sending it on to a firm of patent attorneys.  I have also seen how this collaboration leads to new and innovative ways of approaching cases that would not be apparent in the traditional two firm model.

I have been struck by how friendly, happy and supportive an environment Carpmaels is. Everyone at the firm is incredibly approachable and keen to share their expertise and experience. Partners from across the firm frequently pop their head round the door for an informal discussion about what I’m working on.  It is clear why people flourish at Carpmaels and why it enjoys such warm relationships with its client base.”