This is third installment of our overview of the CIPA Student Conference 2023, held in Birmingham last month. Check out our previous posts for any you have missed and keep an eye out for upcoming ones!
Presented in the form of a panellist discussion hosted by Parminder Lally, a partner at Appleyard Lees, three guest speakers shared their insights into the difficulties and tricky conversations that may arise once a trainee crosses the last of their exams into the realm of qualified patent attorneys. Emily Weal trained, qualified and progressed up the promotion ladder and is now a partner at Keltie LLP for material sciences, engineering and design. Emily touched on the challenges of gaining independence after working so closely with a supervisor as a trainee. Her advice was to identify individual strengths and weaknesses in the work you produce and engage in open conversations with your supervisor. She recommended identifying areas of work that have little amendments or only stylistic amendments made to them from the supervisor, and then to ask the supervisor if they feel comfortable with these areas of work being sent out to clients or offices without supervision.
Rose Hughes currently works as an in-house patent attorney for AstraZeneca in the biotech field. She first trained at Marks and Clerk, moved to Reddie and Grose to complete her training and then transitioned in-house where she thoroughly enjoys the wider range of skills she is able to develop. Rose provided an insight into the differences between in-house work versus private practice and shared that drafting skills and the ability to work with inventors is crucial in-house.
Philip Lenden works for his own practice, Simplify IP, and started in 2022 with a chemistry specialism. He began training at Marks and Clerk and transitioned in-house soon after qualifying. Philip shared his down to earth experience of these transitions and re-iterated the points made by Emily and Rose.
The panelists agreed on many tips such as saying yes to lots of opportunities and building a network through social events. Emily mentioned making use of a mentor whether that be within the same company or external. This role model figure can help validate the circumstances trainees and newly qualified attorneys go through and give advice with their hindsight on how to manoeuvre out of tricky situations.
Despite all the advice given and attempts to implement the tips, some trainees and newly qualified attorneys can find themselves in the predicament of not being able to obtain independence from their supervisor. The unanimous advice from the panellist in response to this was to change employers. They reassured that trainees and newly qualified attorneys are heavily sought after and that making the leap ends up in individual satisfaction. The panelists were open and honest about their experiences and encouraged reaching out to others in the profession for advice if you are struggling.
The Yellow Sheet 