I joined Slingsby Partners as a trainee patent attorney in 2018 shortly after completing my Physics degree. The first year in the job came with a steep learning curve as I started out focusing primarily on UK and European patent prosecution and getting to grips with IP basics on the Queen Mary course. Finishing at Queen Mary coincided with some diversification to my workload as I was introduced to prosecuting patent applications in other jurisdictions including the US, China and Japan. I also started getting involved with drafting patent applications.

During the first few years of training at Slingsby Partners, I worked with all of the firm’s partners and was surprised and pleased by the amount of time the partners devoted to teaching me. As a result of working with a variety of supervisors, I was constantly learning both about the substance and style of my work, which in turn has allowed me to develop my own style and working preferences.

Between 2020 and 2022 I prepared for and sat the UK and European qualifying exams. This was undoubtedly the toughest period of my career so far, particularly as it coincided with the Covid lockdown. The firm’s tutorial programme provided by a variety of different members of the firm was invaluable to passing these exams as was the support of my supervisors and fellow trainees. During this period, the variety of work I was tasked with continued to increase and I began gaining experience providing advice about clients’ freedom-to-operate. As my relationships with clients developed and I learned more about their broader commercial considerations, I also began feeling more confident providing advice about filing strategies and other broader IP aspects.

Throughout my time at Slingsby Partners, the feeling of community has always felt important and the firm hosts regular social events, often involving unconventional sporting activities, such as paddleboarding along Regent’s Canal and competing in international orienteering events.

Since qualifying as a UK Chartered and European patent attorney in 2023, my responsibilities have increased and I have begun to conduct client meetings independently and supervise more junior attorneys, an aspect of the job I really enjoy. I have found that tasks which once seemed virtually impossible have become part of my day-to-day work, and as such, although challenging at times, I have found the journey to becoming a patent attorney at Slingsby Partners to be very rewarding.