Intellectual property specialist Secerna LLP has welcomed two new trainee patent attorneys to its team in York, bolstering the firm’s bioscience, physics and electronics expertise.
Doctors of Philosophy Daniel Pingstone and Thomas Kennelly have joined the established intellectual property law firm to support a growing worldwide client base of multi-national corporations, FTSE and NYSE listed companies, universities, spin-out companies, small businesses and innovators.
Daniel completed a Masters degree in physics and a nanotechnology PhD, both at the University of York. His PhD project involved using electron microscopy to research structures for power electronic and spintronic applications; knowledge that can be readily transferred to his role at Secerna where he will be working in the advanced engineering, electronics and information technology sectors.
Thomas joins the Secerna team with a biophysics PhD, a Masters degree in physics – both from the University of Sheffield – and experience from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). “I knew that I wanted to move out of academia into industry, to a role that would enable me to take my technical knowledge and experience in a different direction to academic science,” he says. “Intellectual Property law allows me to do exactly that.”
Thomas says that Secerna’s appeal lay in the firm’s size and reputation: “I saw a lot of scope to work at a relatively small firm with such a highly respected team. There are opportunities to do much more than I could at other larger firms, and I’m really enjoying the range of work and the clients I am working with.”
Daniel adds: “Initially it was the diversity of the role that attracted me to the firm, and the fact that there is so much opportunity to learn from some of the best patent attorneys in their field. Meeting clients, seeing their passion for innovation and gaining a detailed understanding of new inventions so that I can be involved in drafting patent specifications is hugely challenging, and also very exciting.”
Secerna partner Charlotte Watkins says: “We are very happy to welcome trainees of Thomas and Daniel’s calibre to our team. They each bring a wealth of technical knowledge that is already proving incredibly valuable to our work with clients across the UK and beyond.
“The firm is experiencing significant and continued growth, and we are keen to attract and provide clear development paths for talented young science and technology graduates who, like Thomas and Daniel, are looking for an alternative to a career in academia.”
