She explains how time off helped her to see what she wanted at this point in her career
Last week, MoranLaw consultant Amanda Griffiths told NZ Lawyer about making the shift from criminal law to IP. In the second half of this interview, Griffiths discusses departing the firm at which she had spent nearly two decades, and how she makes IP law sound interesting in conversations.
What in your opinion was the most important thing you got involved in over the past year?
Professionally, it was helping an iconic local company register its new logo globally. The purpose of the re-brand was to emphasise the “kiwiness” of the brand. Working closely with the client through the registration process and seeing how important that was to the client was really rewarding.
Personally, I decided to leave a job where I had been for nearly 20 years. It was a hard decision but the excitement of starting something new took over from the fear of the unknown. I had a career break in between which was amazing. You very rarely get a career break (parental leave doesn’t count!) and it gave me the opportunity to decide what I really wanted from the second half of my career. At this stage, the focus is less about moving up the ranks and more about what gets you up in the morning and excited for the day ahead.
What’s one misconception you think people have about lawyers, and how would you correct that misconception?
One misconception is that people think a lawyer’s role is simply transactional. Historically, when people used to ask me what I did professionally, it tended to be a conversation stopper. In comparison, my husband is a teacher and people loved hearing about his job and the realities of life in the classroom. Now, when I talk about my job, I always have an anecdote about IP and how the law interacts with the real world. Explaining that we get to work with innovators brining new products and services to market and throwing in a famous story or two really helps.
Most conversations now end with “that’s pretty cool” or “I didn’t know lawyers did that”- much better than that blank stare.
What challenges are particularly pressing in the country’s legal industry?
IP is a small part of New Zealand’s legal industry, but it’s undergone huge change in recent years. The profession has become fragmented and there are more sole practitioners and boutique sized firms that ever before.
I think this change reflects not only practitioners need for flexibility but also the changing needs of our clients in a tough market. Clients - irrespective of their size - want quick, concise commercial advice with dynamic pricing and collaborative relationships. Add into the mix is how AI is shaking up the traditional IP model of searching, filing and registration. If your practice is not agile enough to respond to these challenges and opportunities, then you will struggle to retain clients and attract new ones.
Despite the changes, the IP profession in NZ remains small but also tight knit. I hope that camaraderie never changes.
If you could relive one day in your life, which day would it be and why?
My first thought was to think of a happy moment, but I’ve gone the other way. Ten years ago, I was playing social netball with my work team. We were losing by an embarrassing amount and in the last 30 seconds of the game I decided to attempt a spectacular jump but ended up blowing out my knee. The impact of that injury has stayed with me since. So, I would like to relive that day purely so I could tell myself it’s better to walk off the court dejected rather than pretend I’m a Silver Fern in waiting.
