Patent Work
Patent Work
About
Careers advice and industry news
- Inside Careers - company profiles and careers advice in association with the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys, includes a Profession overview
- The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) - guide to working in patenting
- New Scientist - includes recent news stories in patent work and intellectual property
- Intellectual Property Office: Careers
Government departments
Professional bodies
These represent people working in the sector, providing training and networking opportunities.
They often provide careers support for students and graduates. They also provide development for people already working in the sector.
Follow them on LinkedIn or visit their websites for news, contacts, work experience and vacancies.
The main professional associations for this sector include:
- Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA)
- Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys
- World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
Find professional bodies outside of the UK on GoinGlobal by selecting ‘Professional and Personal Networking’ on each of the individual country guides.
Making contacts
Making contacts is useful for success in this sector. Gaining insight and arranging work experience can be through networking and speculative applications. You could start with:
- Newcastle alumni on LinkedIn – find out what they did after graduation and contact them for advice
- Social media, particularly LinkedIn and Twitter - useful for making contacts, finding employers and opportunities. Subscribe to our patent work twitter list.
Events
Recruitment fairs, open days, talks and events give insights and opportunities to make contacts. Regular events organised by the Careers Service include Employer & Sector Insights and Recruitment Events.
Related sectors
You may also be interested in Legal Professions or Science Careers Outside The Lab – which includes regulatory affairs.
Roles & Skills
To become a trainee patent attorney you’ll need a degree in a science, engineering, technology or a mathematics based subject.
Trainee patent attorneys complete most of their training on the job. Alongside their work they will prepare for and sit exams to join the Intellectual Property Regulation Board (IPReg), the regulatory body for the profession.
Have a look at the job profiles in this sector on Prospects and targetjobs to find out more about what these roles involve and how to get into them. These are just some of the profiles available:
Skills employers look for
- knowledge of scientific and engineering techniques and principles
- excellent written and oral communication skills
- the ability to clearly and concisely explain complex technical ideas
- a high level of attention to detail and accuracy
- an understanding of legal and commercial issues
- the ability to take on responsibility and work independently
Gaining Experience
Having relevant experience on your CV is vital for demonstrating your knowledge to employers. It also develops your key skills and highlights your commitment.
Advertised opportunities
- Search for vacancies on MyCareer
- Inside Careers: Patent attorneys - internships and placements
- European Patent Office - internships and traineeships for graduates
- WIPO: Internship opportunities - summer internship program
Speculative approach
CIPA has a member directory, which is useful for researching and contacting companies directly. ABPI provides a list of pharmaceutical recruiters, including those who offer work experience opportunities.
You don’t have to confine your work experience to the patent sector. Patent employers will also value any time you spend within a law firm.
Experience in a scientific or technical environment, eg pharmaceuticals, can enhance legal or technical understanding.
An advantage of getting work experience within a law firm is you could spend time in their intellectual property department.
See also the Gaining Experience tabs on the following pages:
Finding Jobs
Graduate and non-graduate patent work vacancies are advertised via the websites listed below.
Graduate schemes & entry level jobs
Inside Careers: Chartered Patent Attorneys gives details of graduate vacancies with patent employers.
Vacancy sites
- Search for vacancies on MyCareer
- IP Jobs
- CIPA - lists jobs advertised in the latest supplement of the CIPA journal
- EPO: Jobs - vacancies and information about working for the European Patent Office
- Civil Service job search – includes opportunities in the Intellectual Property Office
- The Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys - advertised appointments within the field
Find jobs and additional vacancy source websites outside of the UK on GoinGlobal.
Finding companies
CIPA Directory of Patent Attorneys and Inside Careers provide a list of employers. The ABPI provides a list of pharmaceutical recruiters.
Study & Training
Patent attorneys usually hold an undergraduate or postgraduate degree in a science, technology, engineering or maths. Trademark attorneys can have an undergraduate degree in any subject, although law, English or modern languages can be an advantage.
Patent attorney
An MSc or PhD isn’t always required. It can be an advantage as it shows significant technical understanding.
To become a patent attorney you will need to complete a series of exams and professional training.
Many firms offer training programmes which support graduates to develop knowledge and skills. These help in completing the qualifications and finding work as a patent attorney.
More information about qualifications and training is available on Inside Careers.
Trademark attorney
To qualify you'll need to complete a postgraduate course, practice course and two years' work experience under a registered trademark attorney.
Qualifying can take about four years and be expensive, although most employers provide funding.
Trainees are employed in specialist trademark attorney firms, patent attorney firms or trademark departments of general law firms.
More information about qualifications and training is on Prospects and Inside Careers.