Weekly take: Why IP firms must act to alleviate ‘constant’ deadline pressure

Managing IP is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 1-2 Paris Gardens, London, SE1 8ND

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2025

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

Weekly take: Why IP firms must act to alleviate ‘constant’ deadline pressure

Vector illustration design concept of world mental health day observed on october 10

To mark this year’s World Mental Health Day, IP Inclusive’s Andrea Brewster urges law firms to allow staff to prioritise their mental health without impunity

It’s easier to talk about mental health now than when I started my patent career in 1988.

Back then, I had to hide my occasional bouts of depression, either by struggling through or by calling in sick with some invented physical illness. In 2024, thanks to some amazing work from charities such as LawCare (for whom I’m a Champion) and Jonathan’s Voice, I feel able to set an autoreply that says: “I’m struggling so I’m taking time out.”

Individual IP sector organisations have also made great progress in their support for mental health issues, as have some terrific – and brave – role models within them.

But even now, it’s easier to tell a story about your past struggles, since overcome, than it is to say: “I’m going under NOW.” Because the deadlines and the client demands won’t go away. If you stop, they’ll land on someone else's plate. And that person is already stressed too.

This is what often prevented me from looking after my mental health, from taking time out, turning down a few requests, and postponing commitments. I didn’t want to leave others in the lurch.

In professional services, trust is paramount. And the bedrock of trust is reliability. We want always to be there for our clients and colleagues. We want always to be able to meet their requests. We can’t let them down.

At IP Inclusive we know that many IP professionals feel unable to seek help when they’re struggling.

Our surveys with Jonathan’s Voice showed that those who suffer from stress, anxiety, or depression often don’t take time off to deal with it. The impact on colleagues and clients, alongside high workloads and ever-increasing backlogs, is cited as a key reason.

At the heart of this are fundamental issues with our working practices. A typical IP professional simply has too much to do. They’re already working at maximum capacity. Often they’re the only person able to deal with a particular client or case. And the constant deadlines and client pressures leave little wiggle room for reacting to mental – or indeed physical – health crises.

It’s no wonder that LawCare’s 2020-21 Life in the Law survey revealed that many in the legal (including IP) sector are at significant risk of burn-out. This is dangerous for both our people and our businesses.

What to do?

So, what to do? – Well, plenty of our sector’s employers have mental health policies. They say lovely things about employee assistance programmes, training, support networks, mental health first aiders, mindfulness and exercise and fresh air.

I’m not knocking these things. But you know what would be really valuable? – A contingency plan. A section of the policy that says: ‘This is what we’ll do if someone needs time out for their mental wellbeing’.

Employers should give their staff permission to prioritise mental health and the reassurance that when they do, they won’t in the process be responsible for damaging the business, its client relationships, and their colleagues’ workloads.

How about giving everyone in the team an “understudy”, who can take on at least some of their cases because they’ve shared files and updates? Someone who doesn’t themselves have so much work that they can’t step in to help? How about giving every client at least two points of contact, reinforcing confidence in the team as a whole rather than just one, over-burdened professional?

It takes courage to build a system with spare capacity. Who wants reduced profits? But in the longer term, these types of businesses will flourish. Staff are more productive if they’re less stressed; they do better, less error-prone work; they take less time off sick. These people have the bandwidth to support one another, strengthening the whole team. They stay with you longer and importantly, they are valuable ambassadors when you’re trying to recruit.

If you’re in a leadership or management role, use this World Mental Health Day to think about workload management. Yes, do the training and support stuff too. But make sure your staff have the time, the energy, and the confidence to use it.

more from across site and SHARED ros bottom lb

More from across our site

Counsel explain how the USPTO’s decision to discretionarily deny institution of a PTAB case affects their advice to clients
The Life Sciences Awards announces the winners for the 6th annual awards
The UPC’s plans to roll out its new Case Management System and a setback for TikTok in India were also among the top talking points
Trademark specialist Jonathan Thomas says he’s excited to introduce his clients to other areas of Greenberg Traurig’s practice
Counsel at firms responsible for managing the highest number of registered trademarks explain the secrets behind staying organised and keeping the work flowing in
Attorneys explain what stakeholders should know about Patent Term Adjustments in Brazil, more than three years after a landmark Brazilian Supreme Court ruling
New categories have been added to reflect a changing legal and social landscape
Three sources explain why a notification by Nanjing’s IP centre in China banning AI use in patent drafting is too broad and could be difficult to enforce
Sheppard Mullin’s latest hires explain why the firm's industry expertise impressed them
Elizabeth Godfrey explains why she doesn’t believe in a ‘salesperson’ approach to BD, and reveals how AI is playing an important role at Davies Collison Cave
Gift this article