I decided I wanted to pursue a career as a patent attorney whilst still at university, after completing an internship in the patents department of a large pharmaceutical company. I quickly realised that the role of a patent attorney was well-suited to my skillset as I have always enjoyed reading, assimilating information, and developing written arguments. As a patent attorney, I am able to combine these skills with my passion for science, keeping up to date with new developments within Life Sciences and constantly learning about new areas of technology.

Following my Master’s degree in Neuroscience at King’s College London, and briefly working as a Research Assistant in a molecular biology lab, I started my job at Mathys & Squire in 2021. The first year in the role is almost completely on-the-job training, diving into real cases and drafting responses from the very first few weeks. Leaving the lab to train as a patent attorney is definitely a very steep learning curve, as you learn so much in a short space of time. It’s also extremely rewarding though, and I quickly grew to love variety in my work and the broad subject areas that my role covers.

I have since had the opportunity to work with a range of clients, doing patent prosecution work as well as working on more complex opposition cases and attending oral proceedings. After completing my first year at Mathys, I then attended the PGCert Intellectual Property Law course at Queen Mary University of London, studying four days a week and working in the London Office once per week. I have since also sat the UK Final Diploma exams and the pre-EQE exam.

Mathys provides great training opportunities, with ‘enrichment’ sessions for new starters to learn the basic tenets of patent law, and multiple tutorials each week for those preparing to sit qualifying exams. Having a large cohort of trainees at Mathys really makes a difference as there is a good support network of trainees both at your own level and a year or two ahead. The firm also has a very cohesive atmosphere, with firmwide Office Days and social events running throughout the year, the Summer and Christmas parties being particular highlights!