"There is a really supportive and collaborative atmosphere at the firm and everyone is happy to help and answer questions."
After studying mechanical engineering at university, I knew that the engineering profession didn’t best suit my abilities and so I started life in the patent profession working as a patent examiner at the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO). I enjoyed assessing inventions and working with a variety of cutting-edge technologies in a legal setting.
After three years at the UKIPO, I wanted to challenge myself further in the world of IP. Having met a number of trainee patent attorneys from Haseltine Lake Kempner on their visit to the UKIPO, I was struck by how much they seemed to enjoy their work and how friendly they were! I decided to pursue a career as a patent attorney and when applying for patent attorney firms, Haseltine Lake Kempner was at the top of my list.
I joined the Engineering team in 2018. My work can typically include responding to a communication from the European Patent Office, drafting a patent application or corresponding with clients. We work for a wide variety of small to large, national and multinational clients and I enjoy encountering a wide variety of technology on a day-to-day basis.
The work can sometimes be difficult but is always interesting, and there is a real focus on delivering the best for our clients. My supervisor routinely reviews my work and provides constructive feedback on how I can produce high quality work. There is a really supportive and collaborative atmosphere at the firm and everyone is happy to help and answer questions.
There is a lot to learn as a trainee patent attorney and Haseltine Lake Kempner run an excellent in-house training programme, HLK Academy, for all new trainees in their first year. In the first few months, we received intensive tutorials for two days every week in the Bristol office, which provided everyone with a firm grounding in the key areas of patent law and practice and added helpful context to the daily work of a patent attorney. It also provided a great opportunity to get to know my fellow new trainees in the Bristol and London offices, as well as to learn from different attorneys around the firm. Haseltine Lake Kempner also runs in-house tutorials, pays for you to attend external training courses and provides constant support throughout the training period to help prepare for UK and European qualification exams.
There is also a fun social aspect to life here; there are monthly drinks in the office and there is a boat trip in the summer. The trainees form a close-knit community and we often do fun activities outside of the office as well.
It is still early days in my career as a patent attorney and I am confident that Haseltine Lake Kempner is the right place for me to develop and learn in a fascinating and dynamic profession.
