Alice England left Cambridge with a job lined up in the Patent industry. Here she introduces us to the world of the Patent Attorney - and suggests it should be taken seriously as a career option...

You’re a scientist – graduate or post-graduate in any technical discipline. You enjoy your subject and would like to stay in touch and use your expertise, but a lifetime in the lab is definitely not for you. In fact you’d quite like a City-type job (with salary to match). You’re interested in writing and words, and your best friends might say you can be a bit of a pedant. Have you thought of becoming a patent attorney?

A patent attorney’s skill centres on the legal protection of technical inventions - hence the need for a scientific background. Much revolves around drafting, amending and interpreting patent documents, and expressing or arguing your point in a persuasive fashion. From day to day, you might be sitting at your desk reading through stacks of papers and writing a highly complex document; or you might be visiting a client’s factory or laboratory to review and advise on their latest innovations. You might travel out to Munich to participate in a hearing at the European Patent Office. You might meet with barristers to obtain their legal opinion on the merits of a case.

Every week, if not every day, you’re likely to be called to come to grips with another new technology. You’ll use all the scientific knowledge you’ve ever had and more! The work has many further positives – from keeping up to speed with scientific advances, a unique combination of technical and legal work and generally a good salary and job security. Patent work also develops key skills in research and analysis, written communication, and negotiation. It is also a field where languages are prized and can be used at work.

Becoming a patent attorney can be quite a long haul. There are several sets of professional exams, most of which are taken whilst working full-time as a trainee in a private-practice firm or industrial department. The exams are tough and the pass-rates somewhat daunting, although most employers are supportive. Other negatives include the sometimes considerable pressure to meet targets and deadlines, and the fact that patent work can be rather solitary at times. Some scientists may also be frustrated that their contact with scientific advances is not hands-on and is purely paper-based…

If you’re interested in finding out more, then a good place to start would be with the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys – www.cipa.org.uk. The websites of the UK Intellectual Property Office (www.patent.gov.uk) and the European Patent Office (www.epo.org) are also instructive.