About Tom Gregory: I’m Tom, a trainee patent attorney at Appleyard Lees IP LLP. My work is primarily focused on the mechanics and electronics sectors. I also have valuable experience in computer-implemented inventions and software. My recent work has been for clients in the aerospace and electronic consumer goods industries, and for university research departments across various fields of innovation.
The Careers in Ideas Mentoring Scheme was set up to help would-be recruits navigate their way into various intellectual property (IP) professions. In the scheme, mentors in IP-related careers offer their time for free to provide a mentoring sessions and answer questions about applying to join the UK’s IP sector – where and when to look, the skills you’ll need, how to frame an application, what to expect of the recruitment process, etc.
A number of AL trainees attended this year’s mentor training. Cherry Shin will be continuing her involvement in the scheme as a mentor, and Jonathan Foster, Ashely Wragg, Emily Bevan-Smith and I will also be joining the scheme as mentors from this year.
I hope that the scheme will allow people from underrepresented groups in IP to gain useful insights into the IP profession. Whilst all are welcome to join, the scheme has been designed primarily for mentees who don’t already have access to information about the IP sector through, for example, family, friends, school, university or careers advisers.
This year’s mentoring cohort from AL have experience as trade mark attorneys or trainee patent attorneys. We’re all relatively new starters in the profession, and so I feel that we’re well placed to offer advice on the application and recruitment process.
The mentoring scheme is also open to those looking to enter other areas of the IP profession. Those interested in support and administrative roles, HR, marketing, finance and accounts roles can all receive useful mentoring through the scheme. Of course, we will try our best to answer any questions the mentees have, but we can always refer them onto someone else who may be better suited to help!
Further details for interested mentees, or for information on how to get involved as a mentor, can be found here.
