16th - 22nd November marks Careers in Ideas week, raising awareness of the different roles and career paths in the intellectual property (IP) profession.
It takes a team effort to keep business running smoothly, and our patent and trademark attorneys, paralegals, IP administrators, and records team members have joined us from a range of backgrounds, bringing valuable skills and experience with them.
Colleague Natasha Perks has spoken with some of the A+I team, and asked how and why they started out in the IP profession, and why they have wanted to stay!
Amelia – Trainee Patent Attorney in Chemistry and Biological Sciences
- How long you’ve worked in IP?
I joined the patent profession in September 2020 as a new trainee, so I have been working in IP for just over two months! - What role(s) did you do before a career in IP?
Most of my career has been spent in academic research, though I have also spent some time ‘moonlighting’ as a freelance copywriter on the side. I started in Australia – where I completed my undergraduate degree and then worked for a few years as a laboratory technician – and then in England, where I did my PhD and a short postdoc. Just before joining A+I, I also worked for a year in the university’s technology transfer department. - What/who influenced you to consider a career in IP?
I knew after finishing my postdoc that I wanted a career where I could use my scientific training – just not at the laboratory bench! My year in technology transfer was also a great introduction to the importance of patents and other forms of IP in research commercialisation, and this really made me start thinking about careers in IP.
- What do you enjoy about working in IP?
So far, I’d have to say the sheer variety of work: in just two months, I’ve looked at technologies ranging from large-scale industrial chemistry all the way to medical diagnostics and small molecule therapeutics!
- What advice would you give to someone considering a career in IP?
I would recommend finding out as much about the profession as possible, whether that’s through researching individual firms, looking through websites, or just chatting to patent attorneys and trainees. In my case, several alumni from my PhD programme who went on to become patent attorneys returned to give informal talks to the current students; being able to ask them about ‘a day in the life’ was really helpful. Other than that, I’d say just go for it and apply!
- What career did you aspire to in your earlier life?
When I was much younger, I wanted to be a veterinary surgeon. However, since I am the product of a British family that emigrated to Australia, I originally envisaged this as an odd combination of James Herriot and Crocodile Dundee…in retrospect, perhaps not the most realistic job description!
Caroline – Partner in Trade marks
- How long you’ve worked in IP?
19 years and counting
- What role(s) did you do before a career in IP?
Joined straight out of uni so I only had holiday/Saturday jobs prior to this role. - What/who influenced you to consider a career in IP?
Pure chance – I spotted a job ad from A+I in my university’s job listings. It asked for someone with a background in science and languages, which fit my profile perfectly (about the only job ad I have ever seen which did). I was clueless about what I wanted to do and knew nothing about IP law, but the interview made it sound interesting, challenging and potentially a long term career so I gave it a shot.
- What do you enjoy about working in IP?
The variety, dealing with clients of all sizes on all kinds of challenges. There’s a lot of problem solving and adapting to meet the particular circumstances and client needs. Sometimes the precise legal points are not particularly relevant, and the commercial and pragmatic aspects have the most impact on what needs to be done, so no two situations are ever quite the same. And the people – my experience has been that most people I meet through this job have been lovely and enjoyable to work with. - What advice would you give to someone considering a career in IP?
If you like dealing with people, enjoy strategic problem solving and can distil complicated scenarios into concise clear guidance, you are likely to enjoy working as a trade mark attorney. But it can take a long time to master the role, so you need to be prepared for that. Learning the law is the easy bit, it’s the client handling and strategic stuff that takes years to perfect (I’m still working on that!). - What career did you aspire to in your earlier life?
I always struggled with this one, and never really knew what I wanted to do or be. I was sure there must be so many cool jobs I had never heard of, and I am eternally grateful I stumbled upon IP law when I did!
Emily – Partner in Physics, Engineering, and ICT
- How long you’ve worked in IP?
17 years - What/who influenced you to consider a career in IP?
I was in my last year of university and I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I filled in a career questionnaire and becoming a patent attorney was one of the options that cropped up. As part of my course, we had learnt about IP and had a guest lecture from Trevor Bayliss. At the time, I didn’t think about making that my career, but once the seed was planted, I remembered how inspiring his lecture was and the more I found out about the role, the more it appealed to me. - What do you enjoy about working in IP?
I like the combination of science/engineering with law, but more than that I really enjoy being able to take something complex, analysing the technical and legal aspects and then being able to distil that in to simple, helpful advice for my clients. It’s like a puzzle you have to solve; taking everything into account and coming up with the best strategy. - What advice would you give to someone considering a career in IP?
Read about all of the different roles that appeal to you (the Careers in Ideas website is so useful for this and you can filter by school leaver/graduate) and work out how your skill set fits with the role. If you can, get some work experience and then apply! Expect to be asked to demonstrate your skills in interview – for a patent attorney, for example, you will likely need to be able to look at some technical documents and analyse what they are showing, as well be able to explain things clearly. Good luck!
- What career did you aspire to in your earlier life?
I longed to be a pilot and dreamed of owning my own bi-plane. I never pursued this career as I had awful eyesight back then (before I had laser eye surgery). One highlight this year was that I got to have an acrobatics flight in my favourite plane and it made me really want to get my private pilot’s licence one day.
Janet – Intellectual Property Administrator
- How long you’ve worked in IP?
I have worked in IP my whole life (other than a 3 month job in the travel business when I first left secretarial college). I have worked at Abel + Imray for 40 years. I must admit, at school I wanted to be a journalist, keen to write match reports about my beloved Arsenal when I was 14 and 15. However, my dad had just retired and my mum had to look after him so University or too much further education at all was not an option.
- What role(s) did you do before a career in IP?
I trained as a secretary at Tottenham Technical College, a year I enjoyed so much more than school with interesting subjects to back up the shorthand and typing lessons and extremely nice girls and staff. - What/who influenced you to consider a career in IP?
My first job in travel was not enjoyable and I actively sought a new job in September 1980. In those days through weekly job magazines and newspapers. I had an interview at A+I and was offered a post. The girls in the room I worked in and all staff were so nice and that has been the same story pretty much all the way through. - What do you enjoy about working in IP?
I have worked in so many aspects of what we now call IP. Secretarial to begin with, but very soon after starting I helped out in the Records Department which was all manual records then. Working in Patents is so different now and I try to keep up with the new ways of doing things. As mentioned before so many attorneys I have worked with have taught me much about people and the world with their interesting conversations. Some have been very eccentric! - What advice would you give to someone considering a career in IP?
I would encourage people to look at a career in IP because there are so many aspects to it, and these days can work your way up to an interesting and satisfying career and job stability.
Julian – Partner in Chemistry and Life Sciences
- How long you’ve worked in IP?
31 years - What was your first role in IP?
Technical Assistant (TA). - What role(s) did you do before a career in IP?
Post-graduate research in inorganic chemistry. - What/who influenced you to consider a career in IP?
A chance encounter with the person who used to work at my bench in the Lensfield Road Chemistry Laboratories at Cambridge. He popped in to see his former colleagues in the lab before his viva, and I asked him what he was doing now. - What do you enjoy about working in IP?
I enjoy helping clients to understand, protect, value and manage their IP. I love it that IP is an international profession, and over the years I have had the good fortune to visit some amazing places and I have friends literally all over the world.
- What advice would you give to someone considering a career in IP?
Make sure you are willing to undergo the process of learning a new practical skill, which can be very frustrating at times, especially in the early years, once the excitement of doing something new has passed, but before you are proficient at it. Make sure you have the fortitude for sustained, intense intellectual effort (at times) and understand what it really means to be remunerated for your efforts on a time basis – that’s not for everyone. Oh, and make sure you are not easily overwhelmed by managing multiple projects running in parallel. - What career did you aspire to in your earlier life?
I thought I would be a research chemist, and the height of sophistication would have been to work abroad (and get ex-pat tax breaks!).
Madeleine – Trainee Patent Attorney in Physics, Engineering and ICT
- How long you’ve worked in IP?
I’ve been here for just over 1 month. - What was your first role in IP?
This is my first role.
- What role(s) did you do before a career in IP?
I worked as a Research Engineer at Dyson for 2 years. - What/who influenced you to consider a career in IP?
I first came across IP in a careers booklet while at university. I didn’t apply straight away, as I assumed I would need a PhD. While working as an engineer I became friends with one of the in-house patent attorneys. She explained the application process to me and I made the decision to apply! - What do you enjoy about working in IP?
So far what I have enjoyed most is the variety of technologies that we get to work on. As an engineer you often have one focus for several months or years. As a patent attorney every day brings something new. - What career did you aspire to in your earlier life?
As a kid I wanted to be an inventor, an author, or a physicist. Being a patent attorney seems to be a combination of all three!
Mye – Paralegal
- How long you’ve worked in IP?
14 years - What role(s) did you do before a career in IP?
A few different legal admin roles since graduating from uni in 2003, one I quite enjoyed was for a firm of criminal lawyers. - What/who influenced you to consider a career in IP?
A recruitment agency! I had not heard of IP careers before then. - What do you enjoy about working in IP?
Learning about different inventions and seeing smaller clients have patents granted for interesting ideas. - What advice would you give to someone considering a career in IP?
If it is something you are passionate about then definitely pursue it. No one day is the same in IP I have learnt over the years!
- What career did you aspire to in your earlier life?
I always wanted a career in (magazine) journalism. However I didn’t want to do newspapers first, and also because I didn’t undertake a journalism degree I knew I would have to go back to uni or enrol onto a specific course. Shortly before I was due to undertake some tests for a journalism course in Newcastle, I bowed out as realised I wasn’t quite cutthroat enough to be a journalist!
Rachael – Trainee Patent Attorney in Physics, Engineering and ICT
- How long you’ve worked in IP?
2 months (nearly!) - What was your first role in IP?
Trainee Patent Attorney – what I am now. - What role(s) did you do before a career in IP?
I worked as a Mechanical Engineer and Project Manager in an automotive consulting company for my placement year at university. My role was using computer simulations to improve the performance and efficiency of engines in hybrid vehicles. I also worked as the project manager for a new site facility to test electric and hybrid vehicles. However, most recently I was working as the singer on an entertainment team in the South of France!
- What/who influenced you to consider a career in IP?
I didn’t actually know anyone who worked in Intellectual Property before I was on my placement year. I was volunteering as a STEM ambassador at a careers event when I met someone working as a patent attorney. It was only a 5 minute chat but that conversation is what lead me to research more and eventually apply. - What do you enjoy about working in IP?
I love getting to see the new inventions, especially in engineering – it’s really exciting to pick up a new case not knowing what’s next! I’ve always found business quite interesting so learning about a business and making sure that a patent is commercially viable for them is another side I really enjoy. - What advice would you give to someone considering a career in IP?
Chat to someone who works in IP and ask them anything and everything. I got a lot out of chatting to the other STEM ambassador and it really helped me make my decision. If you don’t know anyone who works in IP, hop onto LinkedIn and find someone! - What career did you aspire to in your earlier life?
A rockstar, obviously. But I guess a patent attorney is the next best thing.
