2020: Supporting our members
2020 was a unique year. In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic we supported our members with a balance of professional information and wellbeing advice. At the same time, we continued to pursue our objective of promoting diversity and inclusion.
Our response to Coronavirus
Coronavirus created a unique combination of challenges for business continuity and individual welfare.
To help our members we established an online Coronavirus hub containing the latest information, including updates from the UK IPO and advice about changes to important deadlines for trademarks and designs. This was augmented with regular email communications to keep members informed.
We adapted our core events and CPD sessions, that were not already online, to the digital environment and increased their frequency. This ensured members could continue to benefit from excellent learning and social opportunities, despite lockdown restrictions.
At our Autumn Conference we pioneered avatar technology to replicate in-person networking, an approach that proved popular and successful.
On a smaller scale, we organized Zoom coffee mornings to allow like-minded people in the different membership groups to make new connections and catch up with those they already know as they might at in-person events.
Throughout the year, we published articles containing advice to support home working members on topics such as maintaining productivity and protecting mental health.
Diversity and inclusion
Ensuring that our profession is welcoming, accessible, and offers equal opportunity for all is one of our core objectives. This year we have continued to play a key role in IP Inclusive, promoting its events and supporting its campaigns.
With the goal of encouraging career entrants from diverse backgrounds to consider a career in trade mark legal practice, we held a talk as part of Careers in Ideas Week. The panel featured three speakers with very different life and career stories who highlighted the wide-ranging opportunities our sector offers to all.
Through CITMA Review we explored diversity and inclusion topics with cover features on pride, social mobility, and neurodiversity.
Wellbeing
This year highlighted the importance of mental health and wellbeing when boundaries between work and home were increasingly blurred.
We strengthened our involvement with mental health advocacy charity Jonathan’s Voice, with CITMA Council member Oscar Benito joining its advisory board. We were pleased to promote the charity’s new booklet to our members. The booklet offers advice on how to care for our mental wellbeing, recognise when others need support and how to take the first steps to get help. To further support this we held a webinar on the importance of mental health first aiders in the workplace.
We were delighted that Law Care joined us with a virtual stand at our Autumn Conference. LawCare supports mental health and wellbeing in the legal community and we continued to promote its services throughout the year.
The CITMA Benevolent Fund exists to support members of the trade mark profession and their families experiencing financial hardship. This year the fund was swelled thanks to the £1931.44 raised at the CITMA Annual Quiz. Half was allocated to the Fund and half to Great Ormond Street Hospital.
