Why I decided to pursue a career in this profession

At university I enjoyed research and studying for my masters, and seriously considered pursuing a PhD. However, I decided I wanted to move on from student life and occupy my day-to-day with a wider variety of topics, whilst still making use of my background in Physics. I wanted to learn about new, interesting technologies and continue to be challenged. Additionally, I noticed throughout my degree that I particularly enjoyed technical writing tasks such as lab reports and research papers, diving into details in particular subject areas.

I thought a career in patents would be a good fit, with the added appeal of exploring legal and commercial aspects. I was right!

Some background on my qualifications and the training I have completed so far

Before entering the profession, I completed an integrated masters in Physics and Astronomy at Durham University. My main areas of study in my final year were laser physics, quantum computing, and theoretical and practical astrophysics. It’s rare that your specific technical background comes up in your role as a patent attorney, especially as a trainee, as we work on such a broad range of technologies. That being said, it has been fulfilling to see my areas of study come up on occasion.

Generally, training as a patent attorney mostly consists of learning on the job, working closely with supervisors and building your knowledge and expertise through feedback. In my role at D Young & Co, I started work on real cases from day 1. This was a little daunting at the time, but there is an abundance of support along the way and seeing my work go out to real clients was extremely satisfying. At D Young & Co, we work with multiple qualified attorneys within the team. This provides a balanced training, exposing you to a range of approaches and areas of technology.

Additionally, at the start of training my team at D Young & Co runs a set of informal law discussions with a qualified attorney to introduce the basic concepts of patent law. This is then formalised with the Queen Mary University course, which includes approximately three months of lectures and studying to solidify basic legal understanding in patents, designs, trademarks, and copyright. D Young & Co provides generous study leave for this course, so you are only working a small amount during this time and can focus on learning.

My current role

Much of your day-to-day as a trainee is working on patent prosecution, which involves amending applications and preparing arguments to move patent applications towards grant in response to objections from the relevant patent office. This involves lots of reading and assimilating technical information to gain an understanding of a new topic, and applying this to the legal situation. As a trainee, all responses are supervised with a qualified attorney who will read your work, answer any questions you may have, provide feedback, and help you to improve the piece of work. It is very satisfying to see your progression over time reflected by fewer changes needing to be made, and receiving positive feedback.

In addition, I have now begun to learn patent drafting which involves meeting with inventors to discuss their ideas and crafting this into a patent application. This is a challenging but fulfilling aspect of the role and allows you to deeply engage with inventors and the forefront of technology.

Other aspects of my workload include responding to client queries, co-ordinating administrative tasks, and assisting new trainees with smaller queries. There are also opportunities to lead presentations, attend networking events, and write website articles on technical topics.

Even as a trainee, you are given responsibility over your deadlines and workload right from the start. Time management and organisation are therefore very important in this career.

My future plans

The next steps for me are to continue learning and prepare for the next set of exams. There are a number of exams you must pass in order to qualify as a UK and European patent attorney, spread over a period of approximately four years. These are difficult and involve studying in your spare time, but qualifying will be worth it!

Beyond qualification, you can sign your own work without supervision and therefore can take on more autonomy and responsibility. I also look forward to the opportunity to craft my workload over time to reflect the technologies I am most interested in.

My advice

In the early stages of this career, the learning curve is very steep. There is a lot to take in as you are learning patent law and how to practically apply it, as well as being exposed to new technologies. It can be disheartening to see a lot of “red pen” on your work as adjustments are made, however my advice would be to know that this is not only normal but expected, and to trust the process. Over time, it will pay off! Additionally, you should be aware of the exams and that you will need to give up free time over revision periods to prepare, especially around the third and fourth years of training.

If this career profile resonates with you, I would strongly recommend pursuing a career in patents. For me, it is a varied and interesting role which constantly provides challenges and learning opportunities within a supported and structured environment.