No. You do not need a law degree (in fact, you cannot become a Patent Attorney unless you have a degree in a science subject) or to have done a law conversion course. You will learn the necessary law on the job. As a trainee, you will work on real cases from the outset and learn by going through pieces of work with your supervisor.
Becoming a Patent Attorney requires a science degree, with biological sciences, biochemistry, chemistry, physics and engineering being some of the obvious examples. The definition of “science degree” extends to maths and computing, though in this case we would look for very applied knowledge or a strong background in physics, electronics or mechanics. If you have studied biological sciences, a focus on molecular biology will be important. It is worth noting that the EPO requires evidence that you have a “full” science degree before it will let you sit the exams. Sometimes, joint honours degrees (such as chemistry with law) can be problematic if less than 2/3 of the course is devoted to the science aspect.
Our graduate recruitment programme is intended for anyone who is not already working as a Patent Attorney. We find that candidates with a PhD and candidates straight from a first degree are equally capable of becoming successful Patent Attorneys, as the job requires an ability to understand new concepts rather than the kind of specialised knowledge that is acquired doing a PhD. Therefore, we do not place emphasis on having a PhD (though you will come across other firms that do). Sometimes a few more years’ experience and perhaps some contact with industry will improve a candidate’s confidence and commercial awareness and so may help with the interview process.
Yes. Assistance in preparing for the UK Institute Final Examinations and the European Patent Attorney Qualifying Examinations is given in the form of in-house tutorials. Trainees may also attend external tutorials organised by e.g. the Chartered Institute of Patent Agents. Just prior to the European Qualifying Examination, we also usually send people to Strasbourg for a one week course on European Patent Law. Essentially this is a ‘crammer’ course for the legal paper of the European Qualifying Exam.
Our in-house tutorial programme is great preparation for sitting the qualifying exams. However, you will also need to be motivated to study in your own time. This will inevitably mean hitting the books at home in the lead-up to exams.
The best way to think about the exams is that they are like a driving test. They are not simply an academic exercise, but rather a test of whether you are safe to be “on the road”, representing and advising clients. Therefore, the exams test more than just knowledge – they test your skill in doing the job, and the only way to obtain the necessary skill is to do the job for a number of years. However, the exams are modular, which makes it a bit easier.
No. In the past, the European exams required you to be able to understand a technical document written in French or German but that requirement has now been removed. The Exams are now entirely in English (or are available in French or German if you prefer), so no additional language skills are necessary. That said, language skills can be useful when working for clients abroad; for example the ability to speak Japanese or Mandarin can be a very useful (albeit not a necessary) skill.
Most of the work we do is within our own subject area. However, as a trainee you will be given tasks in a broad variety of technical areas as preparation for the exams, particularly in mechanical fields. In addition, the technical areas in which we work are very broad and involve frequent cross-over. This variety of technical subject matter is one of the really great parts of the job, particularly in private practice. You really could find yourself working in any part of your general subject area. So the ability to pick-up new ideas, understand them quickly and ask sensible questions about them is one of the key skills we look for.
It is important to realise that this is a desk job. Most of our time is spent reading and analysing large piles of paper and then writing something as a result, e.g., an analysis for our client or arguments to place in front of the Examiner. However, we do sometimes travel to meet clients or to meet foreign attorneys in other countries. We are also sometimes required by the EPO to present a case in person, which involves travelling to Munich or The Hague.
Depending on your subject area and the type of clients you are dealing with, our trainees would probably go to external meetings or patent office hearings anywhere from a couple of times a year up to maybe 6 or 8.
Yes. The main potential limitation on overseas applications are that the European Patent Office (EPO) places restrictions on who can be listed on the register of European patent attorneys. They require that candidates must be a national of a state who has signed up to the European Patent Convention – essentially a European country. We ask all of our trainees to work towards qualification as a European attorney so we require our graduate candidates to meet these EPO requirements. As for all candidates, we also require a high level of precision in the use of written and spoken language. As a predominantly UK-based business, fluency in written and spoken English is required; where needed, we provide training and support to colleagues whose first language in not English.
