Meet the IP Professional: William Doherty – Turning complexity into clear patent advice 

William Doherty is a Patent Attorney and Director at Albright IP in Cheltenham, where he helps businesses turn complex ideas into clear, commercially useful patent strategies. With a background in physical and theoretical chemistry, he brings a practical, communication-focused approach to patents, while also championing IP education, invention capture and mentoring. 

Name: William Doherty 
Role: Patents Director 
Firm / organisation: Albright IP 
Location: Cheltenham, England 
Areas of expertise: Patents, commercial IP advice, invention capture, mentoring, IP education, business-focused patent strategy 

From chemistry to patents 

William did not set out to become a patent attorney. He says he more or less stumbled into the profession while deciding he did not want to spend the rest of his life in a lab. 

What appealed to him was the mix of science, law and communication. He was drawn to taking something complex and often unstructured, then making it clear and usable. That combination, he says, suited him straight away. 

Scientific training, practical thinking 

His doctoral research in physical and theoretical chemistry still shapes how he works. A DPhil, he says, gives you a high tolerance for uncertainty. His studies involved broken equipment, unclear answers and the need to keep going anyway. 

That experience also taught him how hard it can be to explain complex ideas clearly. In his view, people often talk at cross-purposes because they do not share the same starting point. He now spends a lot of time helping clients tease out information early, because clarity can be the difference between an average patent and one that does the job properly. 

The role today 

As a Patent Attorney and Director at Albright IP, drafting remains a major part of William’s work. He has always enjoyed it, but the role now includes broader responsibilities too. 

He says clients want commercial advice, not just a legal document. Understanding the business behind the invention matters just as much as understanding the invention itself. He describes himself as “nosy in the service of better advice”. Understanding why an invention matters commercially, he says, is often just as important as understanding how it works. 

Commercial judgment 

He states that patents are a commercial tool; You don’t have to have them to run a business, and that you have to bear that in mind as an advisor. One question he asks himself is: “Am I a luxury or an investment?” That means he believes advisers should be honest about whether IP is genuinely useful in a given case. 

He talks about the value of doubt, because it forces reflection on whether a service is actually helping the client. At the same time, he is confident that good patent advice can be an investment with a return. Balancing those two ideas, he says, keeps him grounded and helps him avoid legal blather. 

Sharing IP more widely 

He has also become a familiar voice through podcasts, speaking engagements and educational discussions about IP. That public-facing work began locally, with a focus on helping businesses understand the value of IP. 

He believes IP is often seen as something only multinational companies need, which he says is not true. Podcasting, for him, is a good way to reach a wider audience. He is not interested in speaking only to patent attorneys. He wants business owners to understand how to use IP properly from the start. 

Invention capture 

One of William’s biggest professional frustrations is seeing businesses lose opportunities because valuable innovations were disclosed before anyone realised they should have been evaluated. That experience has made invention capture and innovation processes a major focus of his work.  He doesn’t like to see clients regretting IP they failed to capture because they disclosed it publicly too soon. 

For him, the answer is education and systematisation. Businesses need to know what to look for, and they need processes robust enough to avoid leaving value on the table. His view is simple: if you are innovating, you should be evaluating at the same time. 

Mentoring and confidence 

Mentoring junior colleagues is another part of the job he values. He notes that AI may be able to handle some junior-level tasks, but it cannot replace a genuine desire to learn. 

What he enjoys most is being around people who want to become the best attorneys they can be. More broadly, he believes confidence is essential in the IP profession. Nervousness shows through to clients and quickly erodes trust. In his view, good advice depends on confidence in the law, the technology and the client’s business. 

Outside the office 

Outside the office, William has also taken on a role with Cheltenham BID. He joined partly out of curiosity, after spending years seeing the town only through the lens of his own clients and sector. 

What excites him about Cheltenham is the density of its commercial ecosystem. He sees many different businesses operating in the same place, but not always in a joined-up way. The opportunity, he believes, lies in those connections, because innovation often comes from overlap rather than isolation. 

A wildcard choice 

When asked which inventor, scientist or innovator from history he would invite for a live podcast conversation, William chose Kim Kardashian, listed inventor on US10806190. Partly because she’d be a big draw for the audience, and partly because it’s a leftfield pick that shows inventing isn’t just the remit of R&D departments. 

He said he’d want to know how she got there and to understand her mindset. His question would be: “Do you think the best innovations come from trying to invent something new, or from being repeatedly frustrated by something that almost works?” He believes that would be very relatable for the audience. 

Looking ahead 

The lesson that has stayed with William is the need to be comfortable without complete certainty. Early in a career, there is a temptation to look for definitive answers. In practice, he says, much of the job involves making informed judgments with imperfect information. 

That shift, from being right to using judgment, has shaped the way he works. The lesson that has stayed with him is that strong advice is rarely about having complete certainty. More often, it is about exercising good judgment when certainty is impossible. 

Contact 

LinkedIn: Will Doherty 
Firm website: Albright IP 
Email: [email protected] 

Meet the IP Professional is a PatWorld interview series exploring the people and perspectives shaping the intellectual property profession. Discover more interviews in the Meet the IP Professional hub, and find out more about PatWorld, a global IP search provider working with IP professionals worldwide to support informed patent, design and trade mark decisions, on our About Us page.