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  • Name: Andy Sayer
  • Job Title: Patent Assistant
  • Location: Cambridge
  • University: Cambridge
  • Degree: PhD, Plant Sciences
  • Areas of Specialism: Life Sciences

I first heard about the patent attorney profession whilst I was doing a summer research placement during my undergraduate degree. I was lucky enough to speak with a number of patent attorneys who helped me understand what the job entailed and what I could expect from a career working in this area. They also helped me understand that it is quite a competitive profession to get into, and that study beyond undergraduate degree-level may be helpful – particularly in the biological sciences.

After my PhD and postdoc, I realised that I enjoyed learning about multiple different technological areas and wanted to work in an area closer to practical application and commercialisation. I started considering jobs outside academia, and applied for trainee patent attorney roles.

I also wanted to remain in Cambridge, so that was where I started my job search. I was drawn to Keltie from their website and other online sources, such as content on IP Careers. I got the impression that Keltie would really value my development as an individual. This impression was corroborated during the interview process; I spoke with a number of partners, qualified patent attorneys and professional support staff, and it was clear that everyone was friendly, down to earth and supportive. I knew that Keltie was somewhere I could see myself enjoying working, and so I was very happy to accept their job offer within the chemistry and biology team.

I started working at Keltie in February 2021 – perhaps not the best time to start a new job due to the national COVID restrictions in place! – and worked from home for the first 6 months. During this time, my colleagues in the Cambridge and London offices were incredibly supportive, checking in on me regularly via video call and messages, which helped me settle in and feel part of the team. Seventeen months on, I have a good balance of home and office working, I have finally met everyone in-person, through trips to the London office and others’ trips to the Cambridge office, and I am enjoying the diversity of work and subject-matter I am exposed to. It is great to be part of such a welcoming and friendly company.

Trainees at Keltie get the opportunity to work under a number of different supervisors and so get experience of different styles of working. For me, this has meant that I have been working for supervisors based in the Cambridge and London offices, and so I have been exposed to and given responsibility for a wide variety of work. This has included: working with clients, ranging from startups to multinationals; preparing and filing UK, European and international patent applications; writing response letters to examination reports issued by patent offices; and communicating and meeting with clients to discuss the next steps they would like to take with their patent applications.

In this time I have also completed the Bournemouth University postgraduate certificate in Intellectual Property, which is equivalent to completing the UK foundation level exams. I found the course to be really helpful for contextualising events that I had come across during day-to-day practice, as well as teaching me about elements of intellectual property law that were completely new to me. Of course, working in a full-time job whilst studying brings its own challenges. However, I found that with the support of colleagues, many of whom had been through the same process, I was able to find the right balance and manage my learning.

The general environment at Keltie has been one of the biggest draws to working here. I would thoroughly recommend it as a place to start or continue your career in intellectual property.

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