Patent attorneys, also known as patent agents, help their clients or employers to secure and protect patents and other intellectual property rights. Patents are granted by the government to protect an inventor or manufacturer from their invention being used by others for up to 20 years.

Patent attorneys can work in private practice, where they advise clients on patent rights, or for in-house patent departments of large industrial organisations. Their work usually involves:

• meeting inventors or manufacturers to find out in detail about the invention
• searching existing patents to check that the invention is original
• advising about the chances of being granted a patent
• writing a detailed description of the invention in legal terms (known as a patent draft)
• applying for patents to the UK Intellectual Property Office or European Patent Office
• answering questions from Patent Office examiners
• advising clients whose patent rights may have been infringed
• representing clients in court in infringement cases
• advising on other intellectual property issues such as design, copyright and trade marks
• keeping up to date with intellectual property laws.

Many patent attorneys are also qualified trade mark attorneys (see the Trade Mark Attorney profile for more details).

Hours and Environment

As a patent attorney you will usually work 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. You may sometimes have to work longer hours to meet deadlines at busy times.

You will be mainly office-based, but you may also travel to meet clients, attend court and visit the UK Intellectual Property Office. There may also be overseas travel to the European Patent Office in Munich.

Skills and Interests

To be a patent attorney, you will need:

• a scientific or technical background
• an understanding of intellectual property law
• excellent spoken and written communication skills
• the ability to explain complex technical information clearly
• good analytical skills
• the ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines
• accuracy and attention to detail
• a working knowledge of French and German.

Entry

To become a patent attorney you will need a strong scientific or technical background. In practice, this usually means you should have a degree in a scientific, engineering or technical subject. It may be an advantage to also have a postgraduate scientific or engineering qualification.

You may be accepted for patent attorney training without a scientific or engineering degree, if you have high-level technical work experience in industry, or if you are a qualified solicitor with experience of working in intellectual property rights. Contact the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA) for advice (details in Further Information below).

You may make yourself more attractive to employers by taking a Postgraduate Certificate/LLM in Intellectual Property Law, which can count towards qualification as a patent attorney. Courses are available at:

• Bristol University
• Bournemouth University
• Brunel University, Middlesex
• Manchester University
• Nottingham Trent University
• Queen Mary University, London

You will also find it useful to have a good reading knowledge of French and German, because clients often want European patents. However, you may not need formal language qualifications.

Training

You will usually start as a technical assistant in a firm of patent attorneys. You will learn on the job and work towards the professional exams from the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA).

To become fully-qualified and join the Register of Patent Agents, you must pass five Foundation papers and three Advanced papers from the CIPA. You must also have at least two years’ experience working under the supervision of a qualified patent attorney whilst studying for your exams (although in practice many trainee patent attorneys take four or five years to qualify).

If you hold an LLM/Postgraduate Certificate in Intellectual Property Law, you will usually be exempt from some or all of the foundation papers.

CIPA offers a four-week intensive course in developing patent drafting skills. See the CIPA website for more information about qualification and membership.

Most patent attorneys also aim to qualify as European patent attorneys by working towards the European Qualifying Exam. In order to sit the exam, you need at least three years' experience under the supervision of a registered European patent attorney.

Opportunities

There are around 1,500 registered patent attorneys in the UK. Most work in private practice offering consultancy advice to individuals and companies, the rest work in-house for large commercial companies and government departments. Competition for trainee positions is fierce.

Jobs may be advertised on the CIPA website, in the  Patents and Designs Journal, the New Scientist and other scientific and technical trade journals, and by specialist recruitment agencies.

With experience, you could become an associate or partner in a private practice firm. In industry, you could move into senior management or research and development positions, especially with large multinational companies.

You could also choose to become a patent examiner with the UK Intellectual Property Office or European Patent Office.

Annual Income

Figures are intended as a guideline only.

Trainee patent agents usually earn between £20,000 and £30,000 a year. 
Newly qualified patent attorneys earn £50,000 to £70,000 a year.
Patent agents with three to five years' experience can earn £65,000 to £90,000.

Further information

95 Chancery Lane
London
WC2A 1DT
Tel: 020 7405 9450 Concept House
Cardiff Road
Newport
South Wales
NP10 8QQ
Tel: 0845 9 500 505