RSS feedsThe IP Whiteboard had its genesis in the IP team's desire for an alternative means of updating clients on the latest developments in IP law. We wanted to present a broader overview of our expertise and interests than that offered by the focused and in-depth client alerts we produce. A blog provides a platform in which we can write, in a relaxed style, shorter pieces on a broad range of topics of interest to the team and our clients.
We've found that blogging is a great outlet for our whole legal team, from law graduate to senior partner. The structure of the editorial team reflects this. We currently have 14 members of the IP Whiteboard editorial committee from Mallesons' Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane offices. The editors are solicitors, knowledge consultants, senior associates and partners, all of whom work in Mallesons' IP team. Every week, two editors are assigned to look after the blog. Their job is to review, edit and publish submitted posts, as well as find interesting stories which the team can write on. All blog posts are reviewed by a Mallesons partner before being published.
One of the challenges we have faced has been tailoring our writing style to be less formal and more ‘blog-like’ - as lawyers we're used to having a couple of hundred words (at minimum!) to put our points of view across. At times, it has been a challenge to shift from a strictly legal writing style to a more informal tone. We’ve also had the inevitable technical difficulties which go with trying out new things online (some of us had never really used a blog before!). However, the expert IT and KM team here at Mallesons is always available to provide support and assistance.
We’ve attempted to make our blog posts, fun, informal and interactive. The blog may have even helped a few of us in our day-to-day legal work too - being reminded that it isn’t necessary to overcomplicate matters. The feedback we get from clients on our topic selection and approach has been great, and we're looking forward to taking our readers with us as we develop the IP Whiteboard into the future.
