What attracted you to the profession?
Whilst I enjoyed my time as a scientist, having completed a PhD in photon physics, I always found that I was happiest when I was writing up my findings rather than actually working in the lab – I actually quite enjoyed writing papers, and even my PhD thesis, much to the surprise of most of my peers and colleagues.
I was therefore excited by the prospect of patent law as an opportunity to advocate on behalf of scientists and engineers, leaving the (often messy and frustrating) research to them.
On top of that, I was intrigued by the opportunity to learn something completely new (i.e. the relevant law) after spending so many years in the world of physics.
What does the job involve?
When I started out as a trainee – after the initial few weeks of getting up to speed on a whole new world of concepts and terminology – the first work I got involved with consisted of responding to Examiners’ objections at the various patent offices around the world.
As time went on, I got more involved in drafting patent applications from scratch, and now I regularly follow the whole process through from interviewing inventors, to drafting patent applications for their inventions, to developing a patent filing strategy, and then prosecuting those applications to grant.
I also frequently attend events and meet-ups to keep up with current technology trends and meet potential clients.
There’s a steep learning curve to begin with and you never stop learning as the law is always evolving. However, once you are able to hold your own with clients it really is rewarding to build relationships with them, often in the crucial early stages of their businesses.
Do you have any advice for anyone entering the profession?
As you will no doubt be aware, there are a lot of exams to do! Of course, that means that there are a few months a year (for the first few years) where you will need to give up your evenings and weekends to revise. However, while the exams are certainly not to be underestimated, my experience has been that they are quite doable as long as you put the time in to prepare.
If you’re reading this, chances are you’re already thinking that you could handle the exams. My advice to anyone starting in the profession, in that case, would be: make sure you take a decent break before the revision period starts! Even if you just take two weeks off to relax at home, it will make a big difference to your state of mind.
