Last week, Mewburn Ellis hosted the latest event in our Celebrating Women series: Women in Oral Advocacy – Challenges, Visibility, and Practical Change. The event brought together guests for a focused and thoughtful discussion on an important issue within the profession: the continued underrepresentation of women as oral advocates before forums such as the UPC, EPO, and UK courts.
Representation of women at UPC hearings and in the UK Patents Court remains notably low. The evening explored why this continues to be the case and, crucially, what practical steps can be taken to help create more balanced opportunities for women to develop and be visible in oral advocacy roles.
The event opened with a fireside-style discussion with Denise McFarland, Barrister, Mediator and Joint Head of Chambers. Drawing on her own career and extensive experience mentoring and supervising junior lawyers, Denise spoke candidly about what advocacy really means in practice. Rather than being a single skill or personality type, advocacy is about being persuasive and effective in context – whether through oral submissions, written advocacy, or the everyday work of explaining complex issues clearly and confidently.
A key theme was that advocacy develops through experience: watching others, practising, asking for advice, and taking opportunities when they arise. Denise emphasised the importance of exposure, encouragement and support in helping junior lawyers build confidence and capability over time.
The event was deliberately kept small to allow the conversation to open up to the whole group following the fireside discussion. This created space for honest and constructive discussion around lived experience, briefing decisions, visibility in hearings, and the cultural and structural factors that still influence who gets the opportunity to speak.
The group explored practical steps to improve representation in oral advocacy, including planning junior involvement early, creating structured opportunities for junior advocates to speak, and normalising this approach with clients. These practical measures were seen as critical to turning good intentions into meaningful change.
A closely linked theme throughout the discussion was how colleagues can support one another more broadly. Small, deliberate actions were repeatedly highlighted as having a significant impact: giving positive feedback rather than just thinking it, passing on praise when it is heard, and speaking positively about colleagues when they are not in the room. These everyday behaviours were recognised as powerful tools in building confidence, visibility and momentum.
Conversations continued over Italian wines and French grape juices curated by Jonesy Wines, a female-led business supporting small-batch producers. This thoughtful pairing reflected a wider commitment to supporting women-led enterprises, while helping to create a warm and welcoming environment for discussion to continue.
Overall, the event prompted open, practical and engaging conversation about oral advocacy and the steps needed to create more balanced opportunities. There was clear appetite in the room to continue exploring this topic, and future events are already being considered as part of the ongoing Celebrating Women series.
Lucy is an experienced UK and European Patent Attorney and UPC representative specialising in physics and software, and with a specific focus on contentious work and litigation. Her deep knowledge and expertise in the vast array of options for challenging patents in Europe allows Lucy to advise her clients on a pan-European patent litigation strategy, centred on balancing the options available to achieve their commercial goals.
Email: lucy.coe@mewburn.com
