Why did you choose a job in this profession?

In my final year of university I realised that, while I had enjoyed doing lab work during my degree, this was not the direction I wanted my career to take. I still really enjoyed science and learning about the latest advances in biotechnology, so I knew I would like to use my degree in my job. I had always been interested in how science was translated from research into a product and had learned that patents were often the vital first step in this path. Therefore, I knew that a career in this sector would offer me the chance to keep applying and learning science but also to develop new legal and business skills.

The style of work in patent law also appealed to me. Working on a number of different cases at the same time meant that each day I could be looking at a variety of inventions. Additionally, the largely independent mode of working suited me.

What are your main duties?

My day-to-day work could involve prosecution, where I would be drafting a response to objections raised by a patent office for a particular application. I could also be responsible for drafting a new application following some initial information provided by an inventor. At D Young & Co, I have had the opportunity to work on a number of opposition and appeal cases where I have helped draft arguments or searched for prior art. I might also be involved in helping to review the patent landscape for a client who is looking to launch a new product to determine whether they will be infringing a patent. As a trainee, my work will always be checked by the responsible attorney and feedback will be given to aid my development.

Is it a 9-5 job?

Generally, I would say yes, certainly at the trainee level. The nature of working on many different cases for different clients means that sometimes your workload may increase but often not for long. You will have many deadlines which you are often aware of far in advance so, as long as you have good time management skills, you should be able to plan your time effectively to avoid excessively long days. Obviously, as you progress through the profession and your level of responsibility increases your workload will too and you may have to work slightly longer hours.

As a trainee you will also have to sit a number of exams and will have to factor in time at weekends and after work to revise.

I have found that at D Young & Co I am encouraged to speak up if my workload is too high and as a team we are always happy to share work around if someone is too busy.

What skills are useful in this profession?

Time management is obviously key in this deadline-driven profession. A high level of attention to detail is important since any error in a legal document could have major implications further down the line. Resilience is also a beneficial quality since you will be learning a completely new set of legal skills on the job and the learning curve for a patent attorney is famously steep.