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.

Get in touch

Thomas Hoolaghan | Connect on LinkedIn | thoolaghan@hlk-ip.com 

As part of our celebration of HLK’s 175^th anniversary, we are discussing education in intellectual property (IP), and what better place to start than by taking a look at our firm’s approach to training.

From trainee to attorney

At HLK, a major part of the value we offer to clients stems from our people, and so it is fundamental to our continued success that HLK’s trainees receive the training and support they need to grow into accomplished attorneys.

We take pride in the fact that many of our attorneys have experienced life as a trainee at the firm at some point in their careers.

In the 1860s, our original founders, Haseltine and Lake, started a tradition of training the next generation of patent attorneys, many of whom went on to be at the forefront of the patent profession.

The firm has kept up this tradition of training and, over the past 175 years, you’ll find that many of the firm’s colleagues have authored books aimed at assisting trainees.

Examination aid

In 1999, a retired partner of the firm, Ian Muir, co-authored a book titled European Patent Law: Law and Procedure Under the EPC and PCT. Ian joined our London office in 1961 as a trainee patent attorney, and later in his career set up our Munich office in 1978. In the late 1970s, when China was in the process of setting up the Chinese Patent Office, Ian was invited to Beijing to give talks on European and UK patent law to prospective patent examiners and patent attorneys.

Ian’s book was published by Oxford University Press and, at the time of publication, Ian was the chairperson of the committee charged with setting paper D of the European qualifying exam (EQE) for patent attorneys. The book was originally a German publication based on a collection of notes taken from training courses for German-speaking candidates sitting paper D. After the third German edition of the book was published, Ian was involved in its translation into English, with further revision and expansion, which became the first English edition of the examination aid. As a result, Ian was pivotal in making the book available to a much wider readership of non-German speaking candidates in the UK and beyond.

Mid-century approach

Another example of HLK’s commitment to training can be found three decades prior to the publication of Ian’s book. In 1962, R.C. Noyes, a former patent agent of our firm, published a book titled The Intending Patent Agent. In the words of Noyes himself, the book was “written with a view to simplifying the task of those undertaking the training of Pupils desiring to become Patent Agents”. That is, Noyes’ book was designed as a guide to help trainees navigate the path to qualification.

Whilst business practices have changed in the intervening years, some particularly interesting sartorial advice can be found in Chapter V of the book, which deals with “The Outward Signs of the Profession”. In this chapter, Noyes offers his guidance on professional attire and notes that, when traveling abroad on business, a “bowler hat is particularly advantageous… since foreign clients and foreign colleagues are usually much intrigued and appreciative.” Although some of Noyes’ advice may still hold water (admittedly the donning of a bowler hat could still cause intrigue), I am pleased to say that the firm’s approach to training – and dress code – has evolved significantly in the 63 years since his book was first published. Now out of print, a copy of Noyes’ guide can still be found on our bookshelf in the office, along with Ian Muir’s book.

The HLK Academy

Our commitment to training took a major step forward in 2013 when the firm’s Academy was first launched. The HLK Academy, as it is now known, is our in-house training school designed to support the early stages of training, and to provide trainee patent and trade mark attorneys with a foundation from which they can kick-start their careers.

HLK Academy trainees, September 2024 intake 

The HLK Academy formalised the firm’s training process and is still used to ensure that new trainees receive a comprehensive education in various aspects of IP, including patents, trademarks, designs, and copyright. Most importantly, the HLK Academy also provides a valuable opportunity to learn about the firm’s ethos and helps to foster a community of mutual support amongst trainees.

Thinking back on when I joined HLK as a fresh trainee in 2019, I feel fortunate to have taken part in the HLK Academy and to have trained in such a supportive environment. Today, as with so many of my colleagues, our roles are reversed and we’re amongst the generation of trainees who have since become the trainer: experienced IP practitioners sharing insight, tips and support to subsequent cohorts of trainees.

I am proud to be one of the attorneys continuing our firm’s long-standing tradition of training and I look forward to supporting the HLK Academy for many years to come.

#HLK175