Explain why you decided to pursue a career in this profession

Approaching the end of my physics degree in 2018, I felt that I wanted to pursue a career that required less maths and more understanding of real-world scientific developments. My mum had worked as a Patent Examiner with the UK Patent Office, when she was younger, so I had some familiarity with the area, and it sounded like the perfect opportunity to utilise my scientific knowledge without getting bogged down in research.

Ahead of graduation, I completed the summer scheme at Dehns where I was immediately thrown into the day-to-day of the patent attorney role, and that confirmed to me that this was a career I wanted to pursue. Not only was the work interesting and rewarding, but the people at the firm were so friendly and made me feel immediately included. When applying to roles after graduation, Dehns was naturally my top choice as I knew the culture and atmosphere aligned with what I was looking for.

Give a bit of background on your qualifications and the training that you have completed

Now I have been working in the London office at Dehns for five years, and in that time have become qualified as both a UK and a European patent attorney. The most useful form of training in that time has come from getting as much exposure to casework as possible. The bulk of my work, when I first started, was European prosecution for our larger clients, but over time my workload has diversified and now I work across multiple jurisdictions (the US, China, Singapore, Brazil…) for a range of differently sized clients in lots of different areas of technology. I’ve also been lucky enough to have some exposure to litigation through our (relatively) new litigation department.

Becoming qualified can be a long and arduous process that involves lots of revision and exams, but there is plenty of help along the way. Dehns offers a number of in-house tutorials in the lead up to exams, and colleagues who have been through the same struggle are keen to offer their own tips and advice. I have found that at Dehns, there is not a feeling of pressure to do well in the exams, but there is more of a feeling that people simply want to help, and are sympathetic to how difficult it can be.

Although I am qualified as an attorney now, the training doesn’t stop there! On the horizon, I have a litigation skills course to complete, and I am aiming to become an associate in the next few years. This will involve me taking total responsibility for my own work, rather than falling back on a supervisor, and so I am preparing for that adjustment.

Any advice

In terms of advice if you want to become a patent attorney, I would suggest taking an interest in everything around you, even the things that seem – at first glance – mundane. For example, start asking yourself how the lock for your front door works, or why golf balls are designed the way they are. That should prepare you for the sort of things a patent attorney has to consider day-to-day.