175th anniversary news

2025 sees HLK celebrate 175 years of helping the world’s innovators. Below you’ll find a collection of articles, stories and reflections, each one celebrating the legacy we’re proud to honour and the exciting future we’re building together.

Join us as we look back on the past 175 years, celebrate the present, and chart the path ahead!

Follow our hashtag #HLK175 on LinkedIn to keep up-to-date with our 175th anniversary news.

A snapshot into HLK’s 175-year history

Oran McNaughton shines the light on optometry and how the aspiration to imagine better drives innovation in this space, through the lens of an invention from 1927.

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The past and present of pest control in agriculture

James Bowen discusses the issue of food insecurity, advancements in agritech, and HLK’s history of protecting inventions relating to pest control.

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A career in patent law: A perfect fit

What led you to a career in IP? Marie-Alexis Mezin, one of our trainee patent attorneys, shares how she found a career in patent law and why it is a perfect fit for her.

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From science teacher to patent attorney

Answering the question: What led you to become a patent attorney?, Jo Addison shares her career journey from a graduate with a passion for sport, to a science teacher and eventually a patent attorney.

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A trainee’s first year at HLK

Kenan Hamarsheh joined HLK in September 2023 as a trainee trade mark attorney. Read his reflections on his first year with the firm.

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HLK’s long legacy of training

In this article, Thomas Hoolaghan, an associate in our technology team, explores training in the IP profession, looking at HLK’s long-standing tradition of training the next generation of attorneys.

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HLK celebrates its 175th anniversary

Over the last 175 years, our teams of patent attorneys, trade mark attorneys, and more recently IP solicitors, have experienced great changes, not only in how we and our clients work, but also through the birth of new industry sectors, innovations and brands that have changed the world and become part of everyday life.

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The IP Files

To celebrate our 175th anniversary, we are taking a deep dive into our files and digging out some of the patent, design and trade mark applications that HLK has worked on in our 175-year history of protecting IP.

See all our IP Files so far.

Follow #IPFiles on LinkedIn to see all the latest posts.