How did you enter the profession?

Unusually, I became aware of the profession when applying for my degree. I was both interested in chemistry and continuing with science, but was also considering pursuing law. I did some research, and it seemed that becoming a patent attorney after doing a science degree was the perfect overlap of my interests.

During my degree, I did an internship at a patent firm to understand what the job actually entailed, and I ended up loving it! It was a great mixture of using what I was learning in my degree, but in a completely different context. I also really enjoyed the problem-solving aspect of trying to find solutions that work for the client and for the patent office of the jurisdiction being dealt with.

When I got into my final year, I was pretty certain that I wanted to apply for jobs in the industry, and that’s how I ended up here!

Your main roles and responsibilities

My daily work is very varied. I mostly handle prosecution, that is, responding to search and examination reports for various pharmaceutical cases, which is a really good way to get to grips with the various objections examiners present in different patent offices across the world.

I have also been involved in opposition cases and have attended oral proceedings which have been really valuable to experience so early in my career.

Another important part of my role is training. We have weekly training sessions which gives us a structured opportunity to learn about an aspect of becoming a patent attorney. Alongside this, I also spend a lot of time reading around cases to fully understand the laws underpinning them, which can mean researching case law, reading sections of the Patents Act, or reading articles and blogs.

What drew you to R&G

I was drawn to R&G firstly due to the emphasis on training. We start with a two-week long ‘boot camp’ which was an intense yet incredibly valuable training programme which introduced us to the fundamentals of patents, trademarks, and designs. This made the transition into the profession extremely smooth as it meant I knew some of the basics when I started working on my own cases.

During my interviews, it became clear that R&G was a genuinely welcoming and friendly firm which also really made them stand out. There are lots of social events and opportunities to get involved in presentations and networking events – all of which make R&G a great place to work.

Life at the firm so far

I have really enjoyed my time here so far. It has been great to bond with the other trainees in my cohort and learn about so many different aspects of the profession in such a short space of time. The learning curve has definitely been steep, as patents are something I – and most people – won’t ever have learned about before starting the job, but the training and the willingness of everyone in the firm to help when I am unsure, have made my experience very rewarding.
I am really looking forward to continuing my training with the firm and deepening my knowledge of all things patents.