Entering the profession
Like many students entering into my final year at university, I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do upon graduating. I had enjoyed studying Biochemistry and wanted to pursue a career which would enable me to use and develop the knowledge that I had gained throughout my degree without spending my days behind a lab bench.
Having also been interested in law, I sought advice from the University careers service about the options available to me. It was at this point that I was asked if I had considered becoming a patent attorney. After a bit of digging, I realised that this was an ideal solution to my problem! The profession requires a unique combination of scientific, legal and commercial knowledge which immediately caught my interest.
In order to gain experience in the field of intellectual property, I initially joined Wynne-Jones as an administrative assistant. I immediately found that all of the senior attorneys were not only approachable but all encouraged me to ask questions if there was anything that I didn’t understand. Within 6 months I had been offered a position as a trainee patent attorney and, delighted at the opportunity, I grabbed it with both hands!
Training at Wynne-Jones IP
From the moment I joined the training academy, I was exposed to real life cases, attending new client meetings and drafting client correspondence under the supervision of our qualified patent attorneys. I work in the Life Sciences team and am predominantly supervised by a Partner at the firm. However, I have also received work and supervision from various other attorneys throughout my training. Each attorney has their own style of working and this varied exposure has enabled me to begin to develop my own.
I am now four years into my training and am still enjoying it (barring the exams!). My day to day work tends to involve a lot of prosecution, including drafting of new applications and corresponding with both clients and patent offices. I am still supervised but the amount of input required is decreasing with time.
The Wynne-Jones training academy is unique in that it not only provides the technical guidance required for day to day tasks, but also supports your professional development. Throughout my training I have received tutorials dedicated to exam preparation, marketing and business development to build the skills required to become a well rounded patent attorney.
Looking to the Future
At the time of writing this article I have just received my most recent set of exam results and I am delighted to have passed all four final European Qualifying Exams. I will soon apply to be listed as a European Patent Attorney on the list of professional representatives at the European Patent Office.
With one more UK qualifying exam to pass, the finish line is now in sight, and I am excited for what the future holds!
