"I can think of no better way to start a career in patent law than as part of a cohort of trainees."
I joined HLK at the same time as four other trainee patent attorneys and our bi-weekly HLK Academy sessions meant we very quickly got to know each other and connected as a cohort. It was no time at all before we were sharing thoughts, ideas and experiences, and feeling reassured that we were facing the same challenges as each other.
Joining the patent profession from a scientific background is a steep learning curve and getting up to speed doesn’t happen overnight. Luckily, working alongside others in the same boat made the experience much less daunting and a lot more fun. It gave me the confidence to ask lots of questions and allowed me to benefit from the questions asked by the others.
The five of us are based across the Bristol, London and Glasgow offices, so we had the opportunity to get to know people from the other offices from day one. Some of the Academy sessions were also attended by trainee trade mark attorneys and solicitors and we gained valuable insight into areas of IP law beyond patents, such as trade mark law and litigation. I can think of no better way to start a career in patent law than as part of a cohort of trainees.
