(Image
via
Getty)
A
room
buzzing
with
energy,
filled
with
the
best
and
brightest
minds
in
IP
law.
The
air
is
electric
with
ideas,
and
the
conversations
are
nothing
short
of
enlightening.
This
was
my
experience
at
the
Anaqua
Client
Experience
Conference,
where
I
had
the
honor
of
delivering
a
keynote
and,
more
importantly,
soaking
in
invaluable
wisdom
from
in-house
IP
professionals.
Their
stories
and
insights
were
a
treasure
trove
of
practical
knowledge,
and
I’m
excited
to
share
three
key
takeaways
that
can
help
you
and
your
team
thrive
in
this
dynamic
field.
Deliberate
Upskilling:
A
Necessity,
Not
An
Option
Let’s
start
with
a
story.
I
met
an
in-house
counsel
who,
despite
her
impressive
credentials,
felt
she
was
falling
behind
in
the
rapidly
evolving
tech
landscape.
Her
solution?
Deliberate
upskilling.
Here’s
how
she
approached
it:
-
Identify
Skills
Gaps.
She
conducted
a
skills
gap
analysis
for
her
team,
identifying
areas
needing
improvement
to
stay
competitive
and
relevant. -
Create
A
Learning
Plan.
She
developed
a
structured
plan
to
address
these
gaps.
This
included
online
courses,
webinars,
workshops,
and
in-house
training
sessions. -
Encourage
Continuous
Learning.
She
fostered
a
culture
where
learning
was
a
continuous
process,
encouraging
team
members
to
stay
curious
and
seek
knowledge
proactively.
Her
deliberate
approach
to
upskilling
not
only
enhanced
her
team’s
capabilities
but
also
boosted
their
confidence,
positioning
them
as
leaders
in
the
field.
Beta-Testing
Partnerships:
Be
The
First
To
Innovate
Next,
let
me
introduce
you
to
an
IP
manager
who
shared
her
secret
to
staying
ahead
of
the
curve:
beta-testing
partnerships.
She
told
me
how
her
company
became
early
adopters
of
cutting-edge
tools,
giving
them
a
competitive
edge.
Here’s
her
strategy:
-
Build
Relationships.
She
established
strong
relationships
with
tech
providers,
showing
them
her
team
was
keen
to
collaborate
and
provide
valuable
feedback. -
Volunteer
For
Beta
Testing.
She
proactively
offered
her
team
as
beta
testers,
gaining
early
access
to
new
tools
and
influencing
their
development
to
better
suit
her
company’s
needs. -
Evaluate
And
Implement.
Her
team
carefully
evaluated
these
new
tools
during
the
beta
phase,
implementing
the
ones
that
added
value
and
enhanced
their
efficiency.
This
proactive
approach
not
only
kept
her
team
at
the
forefront
of
technological
advancements
but
also
fostered
a
culture
of
innovation
and
adaptability.
Scheduled
Learning
And
Reviews:
Consistency
Is
Key
Lastly,
I
met
a
general
counsel
who
swears
by
the
power
of
regular
learning
schedules
and
progress
reviews.
His
approach?
Rigorous
and
consistent.
Here’s
how
he
did
it:
-
Set
A
Learning
Schedule.
He
dedicated
specific
times
in
his
calendar
for
learning
activities,
ensuring
his
team
could
focus
on
professional
development
without
interruptions. -
Monthly
Progress
Reviews.
He
conducted
monthly
reviews
to
assess
the
progress
of
their
learning
initiatives,
identifying
what
was
working
and
what
wasn’t,
allowing
for
timely
course
corrections. -
Align
With
Best
Practices.
He
ensured
their
learning
activities
and
reviews
were
aligned
with
current
best
practices,
keeping
his
team
at
the
forefront
of
the
industry.
This
structured
approach
to
continuous
improvement
ensured
his
team
remained
agile,
knowledgeable,
and
ready
to
tackle
any
challenge
the
dynamic
world
of
IP
law
threw
at
them.
The
Anaqua
Client
Experience
Conference
was
more
than
just
an
event;
it
was
a
masterclass
in
practical
wisdom
from
in-house
IP
professionals.
Deliberate
upskilling,
beta-testing
partnerships,
and
scheduled
learning
and
reviews
are
three
strategies
that
stood
out,
providing
a
roadmap
to
staying
ahead
in
the
field
of
IP
law.
Remember,
continuous
learning
and
adaptation
are
your
best
allies
in
this
fast-paced
landscape.
So,
as
we
navigate
the
future,
let’s
stay
curious,
innovative,
and
committed
to
excellence.
Keep
learning,
keep
growing,
and
watch
your
team
thrive!
Olga
V.
Mack
is
a
Fellow
at
CodeX,
The
Stanford
Center
for
Legal
Informatics,
and
a
Generative
AI
Editor
at
law.MIT.
Olga
embraces
legal
innovation
and
had
dedicated
her
career
to
improving
and
shaping
the
future
of
law.
She
is
convinced
that
the
legal
profession
will
emerge
even
stronger,
more
resilient,
and
more
inclusive
than
before
by
embracing
technology.
Olga
is
also
an
award-winning
general
counsel,
operations
professional,
startup
advisor,
public
speaker,
adjunct
professor,
and
entrepreneur.
She
authored Get
on
Board:
Earning
Your
Ticket
to
a
Corporate
Board
Seat, Fundamentals
of
Smart
Contract
Security,
and Blockchain
Value:
Transforming
Business
Models,
Society,
and
Communities. She
is
working
on
three
books:
Visual
IQ
for
Lawyers
(ABA
2024), The
Rise
of
Product
Lawyers:
An
Analytical
Framework
to
Systematically
Advise
Your
Clients
Throughout
the
Product
Lifecycle
(Globe
Law
and
Business
2024),
and
Legal
Operations
in
the
Age
of
AI
and
Data
(Globe
Law
and
Business
2024).
You
can
follow
Olga
on
LinkedIn
and
Twitter
@olgavmack.