You’ll need a degree (at least a 2:1) and it doesn’t have to be a law degree. It’s possible to become a trainee trade mark attorney after pursuing a different career post-degree.
Training starts from day one. After an initial two week boot camp, assistants will receive on-the-job training which generally involves working for one (or more) fully qualified trade mark attorney combined with in-house and external tutorials in preparation for sitting the Queen Mary exams one year in.
Examinations are set by the Chartered Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys (CITMA). There are two courses involved in the trade mark attorney qualification process. First, there are regular (compulsory) lectures to attend at Queen Mary University at which trainees are taught the legal theory of trade marks, designs and copyright. At the beginning of that course you will sit a Professional Ethics paper and if you are a non-Law graduate you will sit a Foundations of Law paper (Law graduates are exempt from this paper). At the end of that course, you sit three or four papers dependant on whether you a Law graduate: two trade mark papers and one copyright & design paper. and a foundation in law paper (Law graduates are exempt from taking this paper).
Following the QM course, you will return to the office for approximately one year where you will implement the theory learnt at QM. The second course is at Nottingham Trent University. You will stay in Nottingham for a few days each every other month to attend lectures and take part in small seminar and workshop groups. There are four written and assessments throughout the course, including two oral assessments which are spread throughout the course. There are four One of the written papers at the end of the course, including assessments is a specialist Litigation paper. Once passed, you become a fully qualified UK and European Trade Mark Attorney.
It typically takes around 4 years to be a fully qualified UK and EU Trade Mark Attorney.
Trainee Trade Mark Attorneys can expect to take home up to anything in the range of £26,000-£34,000, with the figure rising to £33,000 and £45,000 once part-qualified. By the time you have become a fully qualified Trade Mark Attorney, you can expect a salary between £45,000 and £58,000 (CITMA/Dawn Ellmore).
All applications open in early September and typically close by the end of December or until all vacancies have been filled (this can be sooner or later than the published deadline).
Please note that we do not accept CV’s and covering letters unless accompanied by a fully completed application form which can be downloaded when you apply.
If your application is approved, you will be invited to a first interview which will consist of a written exercise followed by an interview with a Partner from the relevant practice area and a member of the HR Team. If you are successful, you will then be invited back to meet two other Partners from the same group as well as being given an opportunity to have coffee with a couple of our current trainees.
If your applications is approved, you will be invited to a first interview which will consist of a written exercise followed by an interview with a Partner from the relevant practice area and a member of the HR Team. If you are successful, you will then be invited back to meet two other Partners from the same group as well as being given an opportunity to have coffee with a couple of our current trainees.
All applications that meet the academic criteria (or equivalent) will be considered. We currently hold a sponsorship licence to employ non-EU applicants.
At present, it is unclear how Brexit will impact on the recruitment for non-British citizens. We will continue to support applicants as much as possible.
