Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Key definition

Novelty definition

What does Novelty mean? In patent practice, novelty describes whether an invention is new over the prior art at its priority date. It is a statutory requirement: in the UK (England & Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland) under the Patents Act 1977, sections 1(1)(a) and 2, and in Ireland under the Patents Act 1992, aligned with Article 54 EPC. An invention lacks novelty if the claimed subject-matter formed part of the state of the art—anything made available to the public anywhere in the world, by written or oral description, use or any other way—before the priority date. Prior UK, EP(UK) or Irish patent...

Remote Management for In-House Lawyers: Motivating Direct Reports, Avoiding Pitfalls, Running One-to-Ones and Giving Recognition

Published by a LexisNexis Practice Compliance expert

Practice notes

This Practice Note explores how to inspire and oversee direct reports who are not co-located with you. It is typically more challenging to energise and direct people who are working somewhere else. By sharpening your ability to lead at a distance, you also strengthen your capacity to motivate and manage colleagues who sit nearby. These skills travel well across contexts and teams.

Motivation

Although many believe lawyers are, or should be, self-starters and therefore naturally driven, a team leader worth their salt must determine what stirs each person in the group, rather than rely on blanket assumptions. Assuming that one individual’s motivators will influence another in the same way is a fundamental error. For instance, some in-house lawyers constantly pursue variety and novelty, while others would rather remain within their comfort zone.

The first group may need to recognise they cannot hop from one new thing to the next, as completing assignments and drawing lessons from results is important. The second may require coaxing to step beyond what feels safe. Handle either clumsily and demotivation is the likely outcome...

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Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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