Upon spending 4 years studying an MSci in Chemistry, I realised that not many job opportunities are explicitly shown to undergraduates, or graduates, which stray away from a typical lab and research setting. Due to a specific intellectual property/business related module and interaction with various alumni that had ventured into the field of patent law, I had built up an interest in the field of IP, which inevitably led me to applying to Slingsby Partners! Upon investigation, I found out that a perfect combination of dealing with clients whilst remaining up to date with cutting edge technology is possible in a role as a patent attorney.
I had applied in the summer of 2024 with an initial (slightly less formal) online interview which discussed my interest for the role of a trainee patent attorney, and what my perception is of day to day trainee activities. It was good to have a more personal chat with a potential future employer which did not jump directly into technicalities. The technicalities did, however, follow in the second interview which tested various skills which may be expected of a patent attorney. These ranged from identifying and analysing trends in data, explaining the differences between similar inventions and explaining the workings of common mechanical objects. As the interview lasted an afternoon, I had the opportunity to go for a slightly more relaxed coffee with a couple of employees.
Upon joining Slingsby, I had noticed that the friendly nature of the interview continued in the overall workplace, with a smooth onboarding process that could not have made me feel more welcome. During the time working as a trainee, I have had the chance of working with various clients as well as attorneys at the firm, further expanding my chemical background into a mechanical one. Some examples of the subject-matter in which I have been involved in since starting includes work on concretes, polymers, medical devices, such as stents, or even space habitats. You will never know what work will come around the corner which will always keep your mind refreshed and away from monotony.
As Slingsby is on the smaller side (approx. 50-60 employees), you receive very close guidance and feedback from experienced attorneys, but you can also take advantage of frequent social activities which only further enhance the workplace culture. A flexible working environment is also provided at all levels, where you can manage your time based on workload as you see fit – this certainly helps if something urgent comes up in your personal life which you can then easily work around. In addition to this, direct client contact has been helpful from the start, as the day-to-day prosecution and “technical” aspect of the job is only just as important as the external work that a patent attorney does, such as networking and managing client relations. The most important advice I had received is that, as attorneys, we sell our time, and that people buy from people.
In September, I will be starting a course at Queen Mary University of London to study for my first formal qualifications on the road to being a fully qualified patent attorney.
