An interview with Gemma Christie, Keltie’s newest Partner

Firstly, congratulations on your recent promotion. How has your career journey at Keltie led to this exciting promotion to partner?

 

Through my time at Keltie, I have endeavoured to be as useful as possible, jumping into different activities with both feet. This has given me great exposure to the firm, enabling me to build a strong reputation as someone with a can-do attitude, whether fee-earning, pitches to new clients, training, or business development.

 

I’ve had the opportunity to build and expand on the commercial skills that I learnt in-house, using them in our growing IP consultancy practice. This is an exciting aspect of my current work mix and one I aspire to help grow in the coming years.

 

Latterly, I have been involved with our Diversity, Inclusion, Charity, and Equity (DICE) initiative. I’ve headed up the DICE committee and driven the DICE agenda within Keltie. It's a great reflection on Keltie that not only has the DICE agenda been prioritised and supported, but it has provided me with a platform for my promotion. It demonstrates that Keltie values this work.

 

What excites you most about stepping into this new role as a partner?

 

The newfound purpose and feelings of validation excite me the most. To know that my efforts to date have reaped their rewards. I have proven that I have the skills and experience to continue to grow the business, serve clients, and make a difference to those working within Keltie by being a strong role model, particularly to those who don’t shoot directly to partner but take a different (and, in my view, more interesting) road. I often refer to this as ‘driving to Birmingham via the A roads, not the M40.’ The destination is the same, but the journey is different (and may involve a few stops at pretty pubs along the way!)

 

I think we’re beginning to learn that success means different things to different people. I am amazingly proud to have made it to partner at such a wonderful firm, and I’m proud of the route I took to get here. The lessons I learnt and the scars I picked up along the way. I’m most excited to share that with others and to be a beacon for those who may follow a similar path.

 

What advice would you give those building a career in IP?

 

Follow your path and do not judge your progress or value relative to others. We're in a competitive profession, one where historically a certain type has thrived. Your progress through your exams and career is your own. Most of us are familiar with a statistical bell curve and know that there will be outliers who fly through qualification and promotion, and outliers who take considerably longer. The truth is, most of us reside somewhere in the middle.

 

The trouble is that we are used to being the best of the best through school and university. It's a shock to the system that you may no longer occupy that position when you enter the patent profession. It’s okay; your journey is your own.

 

You may fly through your exams only to find that your experience does not yet match your qualifications, so you don’t get promoted as quickly as you might like. You may struggle to pass exams but be a wonderful patent attorney when doing your job, so the two even out and promotion comes. Everyone will take this journey at their own pace. Life’s challenges—family, illness, or caring responsibilities—can affect progress, but your career is long, and you have time.

 

Any other tips?

 

If you can, make good friends in the profession and rely on them. Speak to one another, support each other, and reject anyone who tries to make you feel less. In my view, this  profession has endured too many years of toxic behaviour and has been the poorer for it. Be brave by being vulnerable and supporting each other.

 

Why is the DICE Committee’s work so important to you?

 

I’ve always been passionate about equity and treating people well and fairly. As a white woman born and raised in the UK, I hope I recognise (as well as I can) that I’m privileged. I have a voice to speak up for those who cannot, either because of the lack of a platform or through fear of reprisal.

 

The two main facts of my life that have kept me true to this cause are being dyslexic and having had children. I know, as someone who went through the British education system at a time when dyslexia was poorly understood, or flat-out denied, that playing the same game as others with one hand tied behind your back is demoralising at best, and devastating at worst.

 

It has taken me many years to believe that I'm not stupid. To understand that the fact that it took me longer than most to learn to read and spell is not a reflection of my underlying ability. I want to do my best to help those struggling with similar stories to overcome their challenges and succeed in a world that often does not value difference.

 

I wasn’t a feminist until I had children, believing that gender equality existed (at least here in the UK). Boy was I wrong! I believe things are changing for the better, but there is still work to do, and I want to be at the forefront of that work. I hope that my own experiences of challenge make me an empathetic ear to those living with challenges of which I have no lived experience. I believe those with a platform and a voice need to drive change and attitudes to achieve a better future for us all. I'm fortunate to be in a position that allows me to speak up without fear. I intend to use that advantage to continue to campaign, advocate, and educate on all things DICE.

 

How do you stay inspired and motivated in your legal practice and diversity work?

 

For the legal side, it’s because I am a geek and love the challenge that the patent profession offers. It’s the perfect mixture of technical, legal, and commercial. This makes every day interesting. I love the challenge and craft of drafting the perfect claim or writing a cracking response to a bunch of examiner’s objections.

 

It’s a joy to work with start-ups and smaller clients who need your strategic and commercial input as well as your legal expertise. For some of my clients, I feel like part of the team. I take pride in their successes, knowing I’ve been a part of their journey.

 

What inspires and motivates me is seeing change, working with passionate people, and feeling that I am making a difference. I want nothing more than to leave this world a better place than when I entered it. That will always motivate me to continue.