Why did you choose a job in this profession?

I heard about intellectual property during my undergraduate degree at a careers fair where Dehns had a stall. I was quite interested and went away to do some more research. When I understood the industry a bit more, I was intrigued by a role that allowed me to combine law and science. Patents are an extremely important aspect of science and I knew working on the frontline of inventions would be challenging and intellectually stimulating which is exactly what I wanted in a career.

What attracted you to Dehns?

Dehns has a great reputation in the industry and has a really extensive in-house training programme. I also really liked the clear career progression which makes it easy to see where you could be in the future – I find it very inspiring. Additionally, the firm has a great reputation for friendliness and is a really supportive place to work; this is super important when choosing a company and I was instantly keen on applying. There are also lots of great benefits, including annual Summer and Christmas socials and a flexitime working system which means you are able to maintain a great work-life balance.

What was the application process like – any advice?

The application process is a few rounds long and involves a couple of online assessments and some interviews. My advice would be to be yourself in the interviews and make sure you have a good grasp of relevant topics in your desired field of work. It’s also important to be up to date with new developments in the field too as you never know what will come up and in intellectual property, on a daily basis, you always need to be dealing with different aspects of science – the interviews might reflect this so being knowledgeable in a wide range of areas is really essential!

Do you have any advice for anyone wanting to enter the profession?

My advice would be to make sure you have a love of your field of study as you will need to be reading around many areas every day; there is such a great diversity in the work. You also need to be able to pay keen attention to detail and enjoy reading and writing. Finally, you need to be prepared to keep studying. There are lots of difficult exams but as long as you are motivated and have a drive to succeed, you shouldn’t be concerned!