This article is part of our 'Oxford Spotlight' series, profiling the lawyers based in our Oxford office. In the series, we find out about their backgrounds, their journey through law and hear why Oxford is important to them.
Gayle Curry is a Partner in the Commercial and Technology groups within Mishcon Future. She has over 25 years' experience of finding commercial legal solutions for businesses helping them achieve their growth plans through innovative collaborations, protection and exploitation of intellectual property rights, grant funding agreements and trading terms and conditions with customers and suppliers, including universities and the NHS. She specialises in Health Technology.
I knew I wanted to get into law when … I read To Kill a Mockingbird when I was at school. It gave me an idealistic impression of being able to fight for justice. It really inspired me, but I've never actually practised criminal law.
I came to be in Oxford because … it's a beautiful vibrant city full of bright people doing amazing things and I wanted to do my training contract here. 30 years on and I haven't left…
I chose health tech law, because … it makes a difference to the quality of peoples' lives. I started as a medical defence litigator and transitioned to a non-contentious role – I felt I could be more constructive as a commercial lawyer helping clients bring innovation to healthcare.
The thing that motivates me most is … helping our clients bring the best healthcare solutions to market. Ultimately, to become a more healthy and productive society and to help people age well, people need to be enabled and empowered to access the best healthcare and I enjoy helping clients to make that available.
The work achievement I'm most proud of is … being a member of the team seconded to the Department of Health which brought down waiting list times for patients from 3 years to 11 weeks for some treatments and playing a (very small) part in making PET-CT scanning widely available to people through the NHS - new technology at the time which can is used for cancer diagnosis and treatment.
The thing that makes Oxford such a hub of innovation is … it's the perfect mix of very bright people and very good facilities, including in areas such as space technology, health technology, clean technology. This mix enables people to learn from one another and share insights. There is a lot of sector-specialised thinking but sometimes the best innovation comes from looking across sectors and collaborating. Oxford is good at that.
One opportunity from the merger is … bringing the power of the Mishcon brand and all that means to Oxford, and to the former Taylor Vinters clients.
Somebody that has inspired me during my career is … actually a client! I met her early in my career and she went on to hold a senior position in the NHS and a University business school. She was very forthright and taught me that you have to be a human being before being a professional in order to truly understand the context for your advice and achieve the right solution for the client. She's now retired and has become friend - I shouldn't name her because she would be mortified!
One thing I wish I knew when I started my career is … Your professional network can be as important as your knowledge of the law. Starting early, as a junior lawyer. If you do it properly, people – both colleagues and clients - will be with you throughout your career, both to support and refer work to you.
One future trend in my practice area is … more consumer-driven healthcare as people become empowered with choice of healthcare provider and healthcare solutions.
One thing you didn’t know about me is … I'm learning to sail. I managed to reverse park a 60-foot yacht in my first sailing lesson in front of a bar full of people who gave me a round of applause – that was a proud moment!