Phillips Ormonde Fitzpatrick managing partner Graham Cowin has been appointed president of the Institute of Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys of Australia (IPTA). “I am proud that my Fellow Members thought I was the right man to represent this innovative industry and this appointment provides me with an opportunity to contribute to an industry which is so pivotal in my life,” Cowin said. Cowin has been on the IPTA Council since 1996 with various responsibilities including Convenor of the Education Committee, Chair of the IPTA Academy of Education, and a member of the Ethics and Disputes Committee. He became a registered Patent Attorney in 1978 after joining Phillips Ormonde Fitzpatrick in 1975. Ten years later he became a partner with the firm, and today is managing partner, a position he has held since 2005. He has a wealth of experience in drafting engineering patent specifications and advising clients on securing patent protection both in Australia and overseas.