International Women's Day 2025

We are very proud of our excellent team of Paralegals and IP Administrators, who provide invaluable support across Abel + Imray. To mark International Women’s Day, Elaine Allison, one of our Senior Paralegals, has uncovered the story of a pioneering woman in the legal profession, and alongside this has interviewed fellow Senior Paralegal Margaret Keniston, one of our longest-serving team members.

Origins of the Paralegal?
Born in London in 1829, Maria Rye was the eldest of the nine children of Edward Rye, a solicitor, and Maria Tuppen. Maria Rye became concerned with the lack of opportunities for women’s employment outside of teaching. In 1859, she opened a law stationer’s office at 12 Portugal Street, Lincoln’s Inn, to give employment opportunities to middle-class girls.

The office trained women clerks in copying legal documents. Legal copying required skill and accuracy, and was a trade appropriate for women as it was seen as ‘lighter’; they could sit, rather than stand. As good handwriting was required, it was seen as a skill appropriate for women. Was Maria Rye therefore responsible for creating a role that eventually became that of Paralegal?

Twelve years later in 1871, Messrs Abel and Imray – both engineers and founding members of the Institute of Patent Agents – established our firm of patent attorneys in London.

Margaret Keniston
On 4 January 1984, Margaret joined Abel + Imray, gaining her CIPA Paralegal qualification in 2019, and becoming a Senior Paralegal quickly after. 41 years after joining Abel + Imray, Margaret has very kindly responded to some questions on how her legal role has developed over those years.

• What attracted you to the position at A+I when you applied?
  I have to confess that when I applied for the job it was a stop-gap while I decided what I really wanted to do. However, during my interview, the emphasis on how the firm was set up to give the best possible service to its clients and that all staff were expected to contribute to this good service made me think that I would be happy working in a firm like this.

• How has your role evolved over the years?
  When I started, the role was very much a secretarial role with my main jobs being taking shorthand dictation of letters and patent specifications, and then typing up the documents. At first, letters were typed on typewriters with a “flimsy” copy made using carbon paper to be kept in the file. Patent specifications for sending out or filing were copied on photocopiers, but the paper copy kept in the file was the only copy we had in the firm, and that had to be kept up to date showing any changes made during prosecution of the patent application. Forms were also completed using a typewriter and filed by hand at the UK Patent Office or by post at the European Patent Office in Munich or The Hague.
  
  With the introduction of computers, over time the typing of specifications and letters (or emails as it is now) is now done mostly by the attorneys themselves. My role has increasingly been to take the initiative in drafting emails for checking by the attorney or reporting standard procedural actions directly to the client. It is also expected that I have more knowledge of the laws and rules governing patent procedure.
  

• What projects or initiatives have you been involved in, in your time with A+I?
  The most significant project I have been involved in is probably the setting up of an office in Bath. Moving away from the London office, I had to learn a great deal about how the firm worked and do many jobs that I wouldn’t have done if I had stayed in the larger office, such as answering phones, ordering furniture and supplies for the office and placing advertisements for new members of staff.
  
  At around the same time, the firm moved from all charging being done by a single person in the Accounts department to each attorney having someone responsible for preparing charges for approval and preparing the invoice once the charge had been approved. As I no longer worked in the London office, I acted as a guinea pig to see if this would work and contributed to setting up the system as it was rolled out firmwide.

• Have there been any particular challenges and/or achievements during your career? How did you deal with those?
  For me, the biggest challenge has been dealing with change. As well as changes brought about by computerisation, there is the change in my role and seeing my responsibilities passed to other people. It is sometimes difficult to allow people to do things their way rather than my way! It is often helpful to talk things over with someone as this helps put things into perspective.

• What have you enjoyed most about working at A+I?
  I have been lucky to have worked for two very pleasant and supportive attorneys. I have also found that most people in the firm are polite and friendly. There is also a general feeling in the firm that everyone tries to do the best job they can which makes for a pleasant working environment.

• What is your fondest memory of A+I?
  I think my fondest memory is the support I got when my husband had heart problems. I would often have to leave work at short notice and was probably not working at 100% when I was there, but I always felt I had the support of everyone in the office.

• What is the biggest change you have seen happen at A+I during your time here?
  I think definitely the introduction of computers and everything that has led to including online filing and instant communication between us and our clients.

• What advice would you give to any new starters in the firm, or your younger self when first joining the firm?
  I think my advice to both new starters and to my younger self is to take as many opportunities as you can to develop your skills and try new roles, and don’t be afraid to ask for help or training if you feel that you need those in order take up those opportunities.

• From a paralegal perspective, do you feel there is a growth path now in this career?
  I do believe that there is now a clearer growth path for people joining the firm as administrators. I have found the job descriptions of the various levels of administrator to be very helpful in setting out the development of the role of administrator/paralegal as they gain experience, knowledge and skills.

The theme of this year's International Women's Day campaign is Accelerate Action.

According to data from the World Economic Forum it will take until 2158 to reach full gender equality, roughly five generations from now. You can learn more about Accelerate Action, and the work that International Women's Day are doing on their website.