The Informals are a group of trainee patent attorneys in various stages of the profession, from various firms, across the UK. The Informals represent the interests of student members of the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA), both within CIPA and towards other professional bodies.
The Informals also provide a UK-wide network for other trainee patent attorneys that offers educational, well-being and general professional support. All of the roles are voluntary and cover various areas including; communicating information to fellow trainees, organising social and professional events, and advocating as a representative on behalf of trainees on a professional platform to various professional bodies.
Some of the recent highlights of the Informals include:
- Foundation and advanced lectures to support trainees preparing for their exams
- Wellbeing coffee clubs to catch up with other trainees and discuss mental health
- Collecting feedback from trainees about the qualification process and representing these points to the Review Group for the Mercer Review (this was conducted through Committee members Lindsay Pike and Joel David Briscoe)
- Collecting feedback on European Qualifying Exams (EQEs) and submitting a response to the New EQE Consultation.
Below, some of Appleyard Lees’ trainee attorneys talk about their current roles within the CIPA Informals committee.
Charlie Hilton-Balfe (Yellow Sheet Editor)
I have been involved in the Informals’ activities for the past couple of years and strongly believe that any trainees who haven’t been to an Informals event, such as a regional social event or the well-being coffee club, should come along to the next one that you can make! They are a fun Informal way to meet other trainees from different firms or even different parts of the country. I would also really encourage anyone considering getting involved in the Committee to volunteer for a position. The whole Committee is a very friendly and supportive bunch, and it is a pleasure to work with them.
As the Yellow Sheet editor, I am responsible for collecting, reviewing and submitting the Informals’ submissions to the CIPA journal. The CIPA (Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys) journal provides a commentary on law and practice to help keep members up to date on everything IP, including case law and legislation as well as religion and mental health work. The section of the CIPA journal in which the Informals’ submissions are published is known as The Yellow Sheet. The Yellow Sheet (newsletter), Yellow Sheet blog and social media are the main ways in which the Committee communicates information to other trainee patent attorneys.
Oliver Herd (Blog Team Member)
I am a member of the blog team, of which there are two other members. Between us, we disseminate the announcements from fellow Informals Committee members (such as upcoming social events, lecture series and exam information). These announcements are in the form of updates on the Yellow Sheet website and circulated emails. I enjoy this position as the nature of the role means I am in contact with lots of different people on the Committee and usually am amongst the first to know of the new and exciting events and initiatives for trainee patent attorneys.
Debora Dorn (Cambridge Regional Secretary)
I’m the Cambridge regional secretary and responsible for organising socials for trainees in Cambridge. There are regional secretaries for each geographical region in the UK, and each of them organise events for the trainees in their area. In Cambridge, we have already been to play minigolf this year! There are usually socials when exams are over, or when results are released. Apart from giving me the opportunity to organise fun social events, being regional secretary also means that I get to meet a lot of other trainees in the area, which is great!
Riddhi Patel (Foundation Lecture Coordinator / Conference Assistant)
My role as a Foundation Lecture Coordinator – As one of the two members of the Foundation Lecture Coordinators, I take the responsibility of continuing to deliver lectures from experienced attorneys to help new trainees who have just entered the profession. Foundation lectures are held every Tuesday at 5:30pm for around an hour. These lectures give whistle stop tours of key parts of Patents that trainees come across and can be used as a first touch to the law in preparation for October exams. Lecture topics so far have included claim construction, scope of protection and biotech patents. Make sure you are signed up to the CIPA Events mailing list and the Yellow Sheet mailing list to get weekly invites to these lectures. The lecture line up can be found on the Yellow Sheet website. Lectures can be watched in person, live remotely through a zoom broadcast, or later through the CIPA Archive.
My role as a Conference Assistant – The CIPA Student Conference is an annual all-trainee attraction providing a programme tailored to trainees, and put together by the Informals. Hosted by a variety of guest speakers, the topics covered are broad; from soft skills training, exam and post qualification guidance, PCTs (Patent Cooperation Treaties) for EQE candidates, and mental health and wellbeing. As an Informals Committee Member assisting with conferences, I am organising a stand at the conference along with helping to coordinate a Moot Court session (a simulated courtroom proceedings). This role also involves calculating and preparing merchandise, gathering volunteers and affiliating with the blog and website teams within the Informals committee to market these opportunities.
