Hester Sheehan
Trainee Patent Attorney
Hester joined Forresters in September 2021 as a Trainee Patent Attorney and is currently working towards becoming a fully qualified UK and European Patent Attorney. Hester works with our qualified attorneys to prosecute UK and European patent applications from filing all the way through to grant. She is also an active member of the Equality and Diversity group at Forresters.
During her time at Forresters, Hester has had the opportunity to not only handle pre-grant matters, but to also be involved in post-grant proceedings where she has attended several oral proceedings for oppositions. She has also gained experience with registered and unregistered designs, having filed a number of UK design applications.
Hester’s background in Biochemistry has led to her having particular interests in cell signalling, immunology, protein biochemistry and metabolism. Work at Forresters has given Hester a broader technical understanding of previously unfamiliar technologies, including food technology and medical devices.
She works with clients of varying sizes, from SMEs to large international companies. This has given Hester the opportunity to tailor her work to the needs of a range of clients with different requirements.
Hester holds a Masters degree in Biochemistry with Professional Placement from the University of Birmingham. During her studies, she spent a year at a multinational pharmaceutical company, working in the Screening, Profiling and Mechanistic Biology department, developing a 3D spheroid screening assay. In her final year, her Masters research project investigated a key transmembrane protein implicated in Alzheimer’s disease. Shortly after graduating, she spent six months working as a research scientist for a start-up company in Oxford, developing profiling assays on the world’s first fully automated drug discovery platform.
Hester recently completed her first marathon in London and is keen to keep clocking up the miles! Her upbringing in Egypt and the United Arab Emirates means she is no stranger to travelling, and she loves exploring new places.