Managing IP is part of the Delinian Group, Delinian Limited, 4 Bouverie Street, London, EC4Y 8AX, Registered in England & Wales, Company number 00954730
Copyright © Delinian Limited and its affiliated companies 2023

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

Five minutes with ... Victoria Randall, IP associate at Finnegan

Randall_Victoria.jpg

Each week Managing IP speaks to a different IP lawyer about their life and career

Welcome to the latest instalment of Managing IP’s new series, ‘Five minutes with’, where we learn more about IP lawyers on a personal as well as a professional level. This time we have Victoria Randall, associate at Finnegan in London.

Someone asks you at a party what you do for a living. What do you say?

I’m a patent attorney; I help people patent their inventions. Once, this was most amusingly misheard as “painter decorator”; the conversation continued at cross purposes for far too long.

Talk us through a typical working day.

I begin the day responding to emails before settling down to a substantial task, participating in Zoom/Teams meetings, and finishing the day off with admin and smaller tasks.

Often a typical day will also include checking in with technical assistants and part-qualified attorneys to review progress and contribute where tasks have become complex, and to ensure that everyone has a manageable workload. Occasionally, the global nature of our work requires a later or earlier call to take into account multiple time zones. With appropriate time management I can afford a long bike ride over lunch.

What are you working on at the moment?

A case involving patents that cover a coronavirus vaccine.

Does one big piece of work usually take priority or are you juggling multiple things?

Both. Sometimes a big task will be dominant; often this must be juggled along with other tasks.

What is the most exciting aspect of your role and what is the most stressful

Defending a patent against multiple opponents during oral proceedings is exciting. Preparing for this is the most stressful aspect.

Tell us the key characteristics that make a successful IP lawyer.

Tenacity, being self-motivated, attention to detail along with the ability to see the big picture.

What is the most common misconception about IP?

That it’s all about caterpillar cakes and Ed Sheeran!

People often think IP is a raw discipline, but there are certainly a number of ways to use skills and backgrounds from different specialities. I get to use my scientific background regularly and really value having continued in science post-graduation. The strong foundation can be especially invaluable when talking directly to inventors, both for your confidence and their confidence in you. For me, the balance between applying the law and science together is what makes my job fascinating.

What or who inspires you?

Those people that get up, dust themselves off and keep striving, no matter what life throws at them and how many times they get knocked down.

If you weren’t an IP lawyer, what would you be doing?

If I were not in IP, and I had been gifted with athletic ability, I would be a professional triathlete, of course.

Any advice you would give your younger self?

Have the courage of your convictions. It can be challenging as a young woman to make your voice heard but diversity in contributions leads to better solutions — your option matters.

more from across site and ros bottom lb

More from across our site

Civil society and industry representatives met in Geneva on Thursday, September 28 to discuss a potential expansion of the TRIPS waiver
Sources say the beta version of the USPTO’s new trademark search tool is a big improvement over the current system but that it isn’t perfect
Canadian counsel weigh in on the IP office’s decision to raise trademark filing fees in 2024 and how they’re preparing clients
We provide a rundown of Managing IP’s news and analysis coverage from the week, and review what’s been happening elsewhere in IP
Shira Perlmutter, US Register of Copyrights, discussed the Copyright Office's role in forming generative AI policy during a House of Representatives hearing
The award marks one of the highest-ever damages received by a foreign company in a trademark infringement suit in China
Two orders denying public access to documents have reignited a debate over a lack of transparency at the new court
Rouse’s new chief of operations and the firm’s CEO tell Managing IP why they think private equity backing will help it conquer Europe
Brian Landry, partner at Saul Ewing, reveals how applicants can prosecute patent applications in the wake of the Federal Circuit's In re Cellect ruling
Ronelle Geldenhuys of Australia’s Foundry IP considers the implications complex computer technologies such as AI have on decision-making