I have always been intrigued about how the world works and this underlying curiosity is what motivated me to study Natural Sciences at university. I became particularly interested in how scientific research evolved into innovations that impacted wider society during my PhD studies. To develop my understanding further, I entered a business competition which is where I first encountered a patent attorney and learned of the integral role that intellectual property plays in the commercialisation of scientific research. I realised that a number of the skills I had gained throughout my studies, such as peer-to-peer review, experimental design and interpretation, equipped me well to embark on a career as a patent attorney.
From the outset, my role as a trainee at HGF has been a very varied and exciting one, in large part due to the firm’s diverse client base. The inventions that I encounter span many different technology areas from medical devices and antibody therapeutics, to genome editing technologies. Being involved in obtaining patent protection for inventions at the forefront of so many different technological fields is what I enjoy most about my role at HGF. The variety of work and clients has exposed me to a high level of technical as well as legal diversity during my first few years of training which has proven beneficial in developing my skills for the job day to day, as well as preparation for the qualification exams. I routinely discuss my work and how to improve directly with my supervising partner. As my experience has grown over the years, I increasingly work with attorneys at different offices, which has enabled me to learn more by gaining an overview of alternative approaches taken by different attorneys. The collegial atmosphere at HGF fosters the sharing of knowledge and experiences at all levels and asking questions is openly encouraged. Consequently, my training at HGF has been comprehensive and excellent.
In addition to on-the-job training, HGF also runs a series of in-housíe tutorials to support trainees throughout the qualification process. Moreover, every trainee has an individual training budget to fund external training courses and other learning resources, which allows HGF trainees to tailor their exam preparations to suit their individual needs.
In short, HGF is a dynamic and entrepreneurial firm that provides a fantastic environment to learn, qualify and advance in this very interesting profession.
