Today marks a huge milestone for our graduate lawyer, Ila. After 7 years of study and another 6 months of gruelling Practical Legal Training, Ila was today admitted to practice as a lawyer. We couldn’t be prouder!
Here’s a quick Q&A with Ila.
BGL: Ila, thanks for taking a few minutes out of this immensely busy day to chat with us!
IL: You’re welcome!
BGL: What drew you to IP?
IL: At uni I was always looking for an opportunity to make looking at fashion and design part of the assignment. Weaseling these topics into assignments raised the fewest professorial eyebrows in my IP subjects so I figured it’d be a good area to start a career in. As someone who really appreciates art and creative work, it’s so fun to work with the people behind these things.
BGL: Tell us some highlights about working at By George over the last year.
IL: One of the coolest things I’ve been a part of so far was traveling to Sydney for a litigation matter. After hours of trawling through social media for evidence and oodles of printing, it was quite surreal to be sitting in court watching barristers refer to things that I’d found. I’ve also enjoyed drafting letters of demand – learning to craft an assertive letter has been extremely satisfying. Finally, it has been very rewarding working with the team on various pro bono matters with emerging creatives and established not for profits.
BGL: What’s the favourite part of your work day?
IL: I’ve learnt to love sharing my sandwich with the resident canine barrister, Morris the cavoodle.
BGL: What advice would you give to other young lawyers who are fascinated by IP?
IL: If you can find the time while you’re studying, I would definitely recommend enrolling in all the IP subjects you can and talking to your professors about potential opportunities in the field.
