My path to the profession
When I left university, I had no inclination whatsoever to apply for a job in a lab. My sister, who is a lawyer, pushed the IP Careers guide across the table towards me one day, but I ended up falling into a (non-lab) job at a pharma company. It wasn’t until redundancy (due to the end of a patent term, of all things!) caused me to fall out the other side that I considered a career in IP. I worked at the UK IPO (mainly as a patent examiner) for over 10 years; however, as my career progressed, I couldn’t find any opportunities at the UK IPO that combined all of the things I liked the most about the various roles I’d enjoyed. As I was mulling over my options, the stars aligned somewhat (including a chance encounter with an attorney who offered me some work experience), and I realised that qualifying as a patent attorney could well be the answer. (I should’ve listened to my sister!)

Training at Wynne-Jones
I’ve just finished my first year in the profession, and I’m so glad that I made the move. My existing experience meant that I didn’t really fit the usual graduate mould, but the training at Wynne-Jones has been flexible enough to capitalise on the skills I already had, while developing the skills required of an attorney and preparing me for qualification. I would encourage candidates with industry experience to consider a role at Wynne-Jones; I would encourage everyone to complete some work experience before applying.

My supervisor and team provide excellent support, and I have a good amount of autonomy and responsibility. I’ve also had the opportunity to contribute to various projects, and I always feel like my voice is heard and my views are valued. Away from the day-job, Wynne-Jones has been very supportive of my work on the CIPA Informals Committee and has encouraged my participation in CIPA training events, and I’ve found this to be a very enjoyable aspect of the profession.

For me, my role at Wynne-Jones is the
perfect blend of challenging technical and legal work, problem-solving, learning, teamwork, client care, networking, and social events. The work can be very demanding and unpredictable at times, and this is when stress is likely to creep in, but even that brings with it its own exhilaration – and it’s certainly
never boring!