This interview is part of our new FBCC Member Series, where we introduce our member companies to the network. This time we interviewed JP Ruuskanen, a Patent Attorney & Partner at our Corporate Member company Page White and Farrer.
Page White and Farrer is an international firm of patent and trademark attorneys. They help their clients in almost all matters related to intellectual property (IP). The company has offices in England and Germany, but they also handle IP matters through associates in over 100 countries all over the world. The company is over 100 years old and it got its final name in 1937 from previous partners John Oswald Farrer, Charles Melbourne White, and Sidney Elliot Page.
Ruuskanen describes the company’s culture as relaxed and the hierarchy very flat. Everyone in known by their first name. People really enjoy working for the company and many of the employees have been working for the company for over 30 years. This creates a sense of continuity.
At the moment one of the main focuses is Brexit. In 2017 they set up another office in Germany, and one of their current goals is to grow their office there. After the Brexit transition period, some of their functions will move completely to Germany because of regulatory reasons.
For Page White and Farrer, the transition to working from the office to home has been smooth. Even before the pandemic, some employees were working from home some days a week. Additionally, a couple of years ago they went completely paper-free. Ruuskanen says that the hardest part of the pandemic has been not having face-to-face meetings with their clients and some projects would really benefit from that. The business travel has of course all stopped. Before the pandemic, Ruuskanen frequently traveled abroad and within the UK.
When talking about remote working Ruuskanen mentions that his number one tip for working from home is to make sure that you spend time outside. Go for a bike ride or a walk before work. You could also go out during your lunch break. Additionally, technology can sometimes let us down, hence you should always have something you can do if your IT does not work.
The biggest benefit of being part of the FBCC for Page White and Farrer is the networking that it can provide. Being part of the FBCC is an important networking channel among others, and this was especially important when moving to the UK. They enjoy meeting people at the events and have even found long-term acquaintances from there. They feel like networking has brought them a business advantage.