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I suppose I’ve always had a desire to learn and try new experiences. If there’s a new challenge out there, I just have to give it a try.
 

So when I decided to take a summer sabbatical from my patent practice at Womble Carlyle, I knew I wanted to do something more exciting than work on my golf game or even join a guided tour of a castle. If I’m going to be in a foreign country, I want to be in the thick of the action, not just getting the tourist’s perspective.

As a result, I’ve spent the last three months criss-crossing Europe learning all I can about how these countries practice patent law—and sharing my own knowledge of American patent system along the way. I’ve had the chance to lecture at Cambridge, work alongside officials at the European Patent Office in Germany and Spain and meet with clients in Scotland.

Of course, it hasn’t all been work—I’ve also had a chance to see an English Premier League soccer game (they call it “football” over here), go mountain biking in Belgium and take my son on a car trip from the Italian Alps to the southern coast of Spain

My trip started in May at England’s fabled Cambridge University. There, I lectured on nanotechnology patent issues to students and faculty in the Department of Materials Science. I help lead Womble Carlyle’s Nanotechnology Team, and I’m a frequent speaker on how the law intersects with this emerging area of science, so I was happy to share what I know with these students. Back home, I teach classes at the Elon University School of Law, so getting in front of these students was comfortable for me, and quite enlightening. A side trip to Oxford University afforded me the chance to take a technology-heavy nanotechnology short course focusing up the use of nanoparticles in the clean energy field, an area of particular interest area to me.

From England, I went to Germany and the European Patent Office in Munich. There, I spent two and a half weeks on a special writing project. I was assigned an ID badge and a desk and helped the Directors and European Patent Academy prepare a module on “Tips for U.S. Patent Practitioners in Europe.” It was intensive work, but I learned a great deal about recent developments in European patent law and how they affect our U.S. clients. I’ll be going back over to Munich in October to present the finished module.

Living in Munich also allowed me to experience the culture, learning quite a lot of German and Bavarian history. The wounds from WWII are still evident, especially if you have a chance like I did of engaging the locals. Of course, the visit to Dachau Concentration Camp will stay with me the rest of my life.   I also took time to fly to Hamburg, Germany, to visit with two Womble Carlyle clients and others at an aircraft interiors trade show. 
 

Following a 1 week drive from Germany to Spain (with stops at German castles, Venice, French Rivera, all with my 20 year old son and a buddy from High School), I settled in at Alicante, Spain to work with the European Union’s headquarters of Community Design protection. This assignment involved studying how Europe protects original designs for all types of industries. Given my extensive work with the US home furnishings industry, this allowed me ample opportunity to delve into the legal differences in this area throughout the world. I will be presenting my findings at an international conference later this year. Before leaving Spain, I visited with colleagues in Madrid and Barcelona, experiencing bull fights and flamenco dancing, both as an observer of course.

Returning to the UK to meet up with my wife and daughter, we visited many of Britain’s sights. I also stopped by Princess Diana’s family home to meet with leaders of Althorp Furniture. Princess Diana’s brother, Earl Spencer, hosted us in his family’s home and we were able to view first hand the amazing family heirlooms, as well as Princess Di’s resting place. We also made it up to Edinburgh, and although I had to decline a sought-after position to volunteer at the British Open golf tournament, we did get to visit “The Open” tournament for a day as spectators.

My travels are concluding in Ireland. I am staying in a cottage on a remote piece of property owned by a free lance chef, and looking forward to helping out at a large Irish wedding this weekend. My many rich experiences will last a life time.

Paying personal visits to clients and foreign patent associates has been quite a worthwhile part of my sabbatical.   Clients appreciate the effort, and these sorts of off-the-clock get-togethers help forge lasting bonds with clients and colleagues. I will have to count my stack of business cards, but I’m sure that the number of professional interactions will easily pass the 50 mark.

My time away from the office has been both relaxing and exhilarating. I built into my travels ample time to slow down and savor the experiences. At the same time, the experiencing of new cultures, complex histories and interesting personalities has been stimulating and tremendously rewarding. I’ve made new friends from many different cultures, strengthened existing relationships, met several potential new clients and learned much more than I ever could have behind a desk. What more can you ask for from a summer “vacation”?