2024 marks a special anniversary for Michael Buck IP: 15 years since our firm’s founding. This milestone is cause for significant celebration, considering the enduring presence the firm has built over these years, and the growth it has achieved in this time.
To commemorate this anniversary, we would like to take a quick trip down memory lane and remember some important events in MBIP history.
MBIP Key Highlights
In 2009, Michael Buck IP was established by Michael Buck. The first official commercial office space was located in Taringa (Queensland) at 196 Moggill Road.
In 2013, MBIP moved further down the road to offices located at Unit 4/97 Moggill Road… followed by the purchase of direct downstairs unit 1 to provide more space for a meeting room.
Fast forward to 2016, when Materials and Chemical Engineering attorney Andy Mukherji joins Michael and is later elevated to Principal, in June 2017. A few months later, Geraldine Rimmer joins the MBIP team, playing a pivotal role in meeting our clients’ trade mark needs.
As the MBIP teams hires more attorneys and support staff, a bigger office space is required. January 2018, MBIP pack up again and move to 159 Musgrave Road, Red Hill, to accommodate our rapidly growing team of staff members. We still occupy this office space today.
In 2019, we commemorated 10 years of MBIP! We held a staff celebration at the Ovolo Incholm, Spring Hill.
In July 2020, Jeremy Moller was elevated to Principal just two years after joining MBIP in 2018.
August 2021 saw Head of Trade Marks Geraldine Rimmer elevated to Principal.
October 2022 marked our first Client Appreciation Event at the beautiful Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA), overlooking the Brisbane River. It was an enjoyable evening celebrating with many of our longstanding and award-winning local clients, and our valued referrer network.
By 2023, MBIP had more than 20 permanent team members, including a marketing department, accounts department and renewals department.
Earlier this year (April 2024) MBIP opened a second office space in Spring Hill. This office provides us with more space for our growing team, as well as convenience and flexibility for staff and clients alike due to its location close to the Brisbane CBD.
Finally, we recently celebrated the elevation of David Tso to Principal. David has been a member of our patents team since joining the firm in 2020.
As you can see, we’ve had so many highlights over the years (and we couldn’t list them all here).
MBIP Key Lessons – Q&A
As well as the many significant milestones and events already mentioned, MBIP has provided value to those who work here as an environment to learn many valuable lessons. We asked Directors Andy, Geraldine, and Jeremy some questions in order to reflect on the ways in which their time at the firm has broadened their horizons in different aspects of their professional lives, based on a few key areas that come up again and again in discussions about our firm.
Q: Has your time at MBIP changed or influenced your views on workplace leadership and culture? How?
Geraldine: The leadership at the firm has always been one that fosters an inclusive and collaborative environment and that is something I will do my best to continue. Through my experiences at other firms, and now seeing the differences at MBIP, I’ve learned that leadership is not just about directing but also about inspiring and empowering others. Leadership at MBIP stands apart from other firms (in my experience) – as leadership here is not a top-down approach but rather a dynamic, reciprocal process. This all leads to positive culture and team morale – which in turns drives innovation, productivity and collective success. We are a team in every sense!
Jeremy: Yes, my time at MBIP has significantly influenced my views on workplace leadership and culture. I’ve learned the importance of fostering an inclusive and collaborative environment where every team member feels valued and heard. MBIP’s emphasis on continuous learning and development has shown me that effective leadership is not just about guiding others but also about being open to feedback and willing to evolve. The culture of innovation and adaptability here has reinforced the idea that a dynamic and supportive workplace is crucial for both personal and organizational growth.
Andy: My view is that MBIP has evolved and developed to meet the requirements of the changing legal marketplace. We have a leadership team that not only includes the Principals of the firm but also includes managers who are responsible for day-to-day running of the firm.
When I joined MBIP in 2016, the founder Michael Buck had been the sole patent attorney and proprietor at the firm for eight years. The firm had a good spread of clients that included some institutional and corporate clients. Michael’s reputation for doing excellent work that was complex is what attracted me to MBIP. When I interviewed with Michael, he seemed very frank and open, and his vision was to make MBIP a centre of excellence for patents and trade marks. Over the last seven years, the firm’s revenue has grown by five to six times. Today the firm has more than twenty employees which includes ten attorneys.
In relation to the firm’s culture, my view is that all members of MBIP take pride in their work and we have inculcated a culture of constant improvement and evolution to improve the quality and delivery of our IP services. We don’t just focus on doing excellent legal work but also delivering our services in an easy to digest manner to ensure that our clients understand the complexities of IP and make informed decisions.
Q: Why is staying open to new opportunities, adapting to change, and adopting innovative practices so important at MBIP?
Geraldine: These points are extremely important at MBIP – as intellectual property involves innovation and an ever-evolving client environment. As industries and technologies advance rapidly, the ability to embrace new methods, tools, and strategies ensures that our business can stay ahead and meet emerging challenges effectively and stay abreast of our clients’ needs. A culture of adaptability and flexibility helps teams navigate disruptions smoothly, reducing resistance and maintaining positive morale.
Jeremy: Staying open to new opportunities, adapting to change, and adopting innovative practices are vital because they enable us to remain competitive and responsive in a rapidly evolving market. Embracing change and innovation ensures that we can provide cutting-edge solutions to our clients and anticipate their needs before they even arise. This proactive approach not only helps us to stay ahead of industry trends but also fosters a culture of continuous improvement and creativity within the organisation.
Andy: MBIP is a young and dynamic firm, and we are not burdened by legacy. As a young firm, we embrace change and remain open to experimenting with new ideas. The fear of failure does not exist at MBIP and each member of MBIP is encouraged to try new ideas and fail early and learn from our failings.
Q: How have you learnt to identify the most valuable areas to invest in (in time, money, effort, etc)?
Jeremy: Learning to identify the most valuable areas to invest in has been a journey of curiosity and experimentation. Being relatively young, at just 15 years old, we’ve embraced a mindset of being willing to try new things and learn from each experience. At MBIP, we prioritise investments that align with our core values and long-term goals. This involves regularly assessing market trends, client feedback, and internal performance metrics. Fostering strong relationships with clients and industry partners provides valuable insights into emerging opportunities and helps guide our investment decisions. This adventurous and open approach allows us to stay innovative and adaptable, always ready to explore new possibilities.
Andy: The most valuable area of investment is our people. We focus on ensuring that we maximise opportunities for our staff within our firm. As one of Australia’s fastest growing firms, we have been able to provide exciting career opportunities to all our staff irrespective of whether they are attorneys, managers or administrators. My own view is that you cannot have a top tier firm without excellent people. In order for us to scale up excellence at MBIP, we are committed to the career growth for each of our staff members. Our philosophy is that MBIP cannot succeed if our members and clients don’t succeed.
Q: What is the significance of client value at MBIP? What strategies has MBIP employed to deliver top value to clients and cultivate lasting relationships?
Geraldine: Client value is of utmost significance at MBIP. We strive to understand our clients’ needs, deliver the highest quality service, be approachable and maintain open and honest communication. This is why we have such strong and long-lasting client relationships.
Jeremy: Client value is at the heart of everything we do at MBIP. We understand that our success is directly tied to the success of our clients, and we strive to exceed their expectations in every interaction. To deliver top value, we employ a range of strategies, including:
- Tailored Solutions: We take the time to understand each client’s unique needs and challenges, allowing us to provide customised solutions that deliver real, commercially-driven results.
- Proactive Communication: Maintaining open and transparent communication channels ensures that clients are always informed and involved in the process.
- Continuous Improvement: We regularly seek feedback from clients and use it to refine our services and processes, ensuring we consistently deliver high-quality outcomes.
- Building Trust: By demonstrating reliability, integrity, and expertise, we build strong, trust-based relationships with our clients, fostering long-term partnerships that benefit both parties.
- Approachability: Being approachable allows us to build strong connections with our clients, ensuring they feel comfortable sharing their needs and concerns, which leads to better, more commercially driven outcomes.
Andy: I had worked at top tier and mid-tier firms before I came to MBIP. My own aspiration was to simplify delivery of services to clients. IP rights such as patents and trade marks can be very complex and transactional in nature. Breaking complex legal concepts down to bite-sized and useful information is where we make a difference. At MBIP, we try and go beyond just sending an email that no one can understand. Clients who can’t understand our correspondence are not likely to value our services. Similarly, we take time to understand our client’s businesses and their aspirations so that our advice is tailored for today and the future.
In the last few years, we have been using external consultancy services (such as Beaton Consulting) to seek feedback from our clients in order to help us improve our firm’s services. Direct feedback (both good and bad) is critical. There are instances where our perception of value is different from how clients perceive value, and our goal is to build on that feedback to improve MBIP.
Looking to the Future
As our award-winning firm continues to grow and develop under the leadership of our four Principals, Andy, Geraldine, Jeremy, and David, we are looking forward to celebrating more of these milestone anniversaries. This progress is ongoing, with our recent expansion into two office spaces a marker of our growth in the last five years alone. While the IP industry and profession continues to undergo significant changes, we look forward to evolving, stepping up to new challenges, and providing exemplary service to our clients.
