Increasing access to the IP profession
Appleyard Lees engage in a number of initiatives designed to offer prospective attorneys better access to the IP profession which, historically, has not been available in equal ways to all people.
Our activities are inspired in part by Clifford Lees, OBE (the man who put ‘Lees’ in Appleyard Lees), who sadly passed away in August 2021. Clifford, who himself came from very humble beginnings, was possibly the most important figure in the firm’s history. He was instrumental in growing the firm from a solo practice to what it is today, a firm of over sixty IP attorneys and solicitors with complimentary skillsets. Clifford was active on the Council of the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA) for many years and was President of the Institute from 1991 to 1992. He was awarded an OBE for services to the patent industry in June 1996.
Clifford’s passion for new technology and IP, his client-focused attitude, and overwhelming desire to help people, underpin our firm’s culture today. In his memory, and to play our part in increasing access to and diversity within the IP profession, our activities include:
Association with In2ScienceUK
Appleyard Lees has committed, as one of our Clifford Lees legacy projects, to supporting young people on the In2scienceUK programme over the next three years.
Their support will enable young people to access mentoring sessions, expert-led skills workshops, and industry placements, equipping them with the necessary skills and networks to build a successful future.
Appleyard Lees summer work experience programme
Our summer placement programme offers students who may not have considered a career in intellectual property, the opportunity to gain valuable work experience within our office environment. Students will be exposed to all areas of our business and have an opportunity to undertake real work whilst they are with us.
Appleyard Lees people work with local schools near to our offices in Halifax, Manchester, Cambridge, and Leeds, to offer summer work experience to a selection of interested students. The duration of this paid work will be four weeks over the summer school holiday.
