The rapid adoption of AI is transforming how intellectual property services are generated, delivered, and relied upon - by both practitioners and their clients - but it is also raising complex ethical questions that IP lawyers, patent attorneys, and trade mark attorneys can no longer afford to ignore.
This CPD session explores the evolving intersection of artificial intelligence and professional responsibility in IP practice. From codes of conduct, regulatory compliance, confidentiality risks, and reliance on AI-generated outputs, we examine where existing ethical frameworks apply.
Featuring insights from David Bowles, Ethics Solicitor at the Queensland Law Society, and Dr Ronelle Geldenhuys, Principal and ICT Patent Attorney at Jones Maxwell Smith & Davis, this session will provide both regulatory perspective and technical depth.
Attendees will gain:
- A clear understanding of ethical obligations when using AI tools in IP practice;
- Practical guidance on managing risks around confidentiality, accuracy, and client reliance;
- Insight into how AI is reshaping concepts of inventorship and authorship; and
- Strategies to safely integrate AI into legal workflows without breaching professional duties.
This session is essential for practitioners navigating the tension between embracing innovation and upholding the highest standards of legal ethics.
To be held in-person at the offices of FB Rice, Brisbane and virtually.
SPEAKER: David Bowles, Ethics Solicitor, Queensland Law Society
David Bowles is a Special Counsel and Ethics Solicitor at the Queensland Law Society (QLS) Ethics and Practice Centre, joining in November 2012. Admitted in 1996, he provides ethical guidance, compliance advice, and continuing legal education on topics including cyber security, AI, and professional obligations.
SPEAKER: Dr Ronelle Geldenhuys, Principal and ICT Patent Attorney, Jones Maxwell Smith & Davis (JMSD)
Ronelle specialises in electronics, computer networks, computer-implemented (software) inventions, control systems, mine automation, telecommunication and communication systems, domestic appliances and electro-optics. Ronelle’s IP practice covers both patents and designs, and in addition to drafting and prosecuting local and foreign applications, she advises on infringement, validity and commercially applicable IP strategies. Having experience as both an in-house patent counsel and private practice patent attorney, she is able to bridge the communication gap that sometimes yawns between inventors and patent attorneys, facilitating the patent process.
Ronelle commenced her patent attorney career with Freehills (now FPA) in 2008. She worked in-house at Breville before joining FB Rice in 2015, and then Foundry IP in 2021.
Ronelle is passionate about supporting the IP professional community, and in addition to tutoring the new generation of patent attorneys in Patent Systems at UTS she is also a Fellow of IPTA, the secretary of FICPI Australia, and a founding member of the ChIPs Australia & New Zealand chapter.
CHAIR: Manuel Schmidt, Partner, FB Rice
Manuel is a Patent Attorney and Partner in the ICT group of FB Rice. Over the last 16 years, he has drafted many patent applications related to computers, software and physics. His particular pet interests are AI, bioinformatics and quantum physics. He is a member of the AI trial group at FB Rice and is still waiting to see significant productivity gains through the use of AI in deep tech patents.
CPD: 1 CPD point in Ethics and Professional Responsibility
TIME: 12 noon in-person for lunch; 12:30pm to 1:30pm AEST for the presentation (in-person and virtual)
Presentation start time (in-person and virtual):
- 2:30pm NZST – New Zealand
- 12:30pm AEST – VIC, NSW, QLD, TAS and ACT
- 12 noon ACST – South Australia
- 10:30am AWST – WA
RSVP: Please register by 3pm AEST on 25 May 2026.
IPSANZ event registration fees are as follows:
In-Person Registration
- A$55.00 IPSANZ members; A$99.00 non-members (fees include 10% GST)
Virtual Registration
- A$27.50 AU IPSANZ members; A$55.00 AU non-members (fees include 10% GST)
- A$25.00 NZ and International IPSANZ members; A$50.00 NZ and International non-members (note, NZ and International registrations exclude 10% GST)