Disclaimer: Our trainee blogs are written by trainees for trainees, offering career insights and industry perspectives.
Many people in the intellectual property (IP) sphere have a fascinating story about how they got to their role in IP. No two stories are the same, and I feel that is what makes IP such an interesting sector to work in.
My story starts when I was fresh out of university, tired of having no money and having studied law at university I knew I wanted to work in the legal sector. However, I was unsure which area of law was for me. I had started applying to legal secretary/administrator jobs in Manchester when I received a call from an IP recruitment company, who noticed I had completed an IP module in my final year of university. They asked if I would be interested in a role as an IP administrator, at Appleyard Lees.
Following an interview, I was offered the administrator role in Manchester’s chemistry patent team. I was able to dive into working with a great team, while learning all about the world of patents. Career progression has always been important to me, and I was soon promoted to senior IP paralegal. However, it was always in the back of my mind that I would like to use more of my law degree in my career.
It wasn’t until an internal talk introducing the basics of trade mark law, that I realised working in this area of IP may be the career I was looking for. I went home and began researching the role of a trade mark attorney, and how I could make the transition. I spoke with my manager about my intention, and found that she, alongside various people in Appleyard Lees, were very supportive and offered me advice on how best to achieve this change of career.
It was suggested that I take the CITMA paralegal course, and move from my role in the chemistry patent team to Appleyard Lees’ central resource team. I would still assist on patent work, but I would also work in the brilliant trade mark team in Leeds to gain better understanding of this form of IP. Working within this team opened my eyes to the fast-paced environment of trade marks, and solidified my ambition to become a trade mark attorney.
I also decided to do the Legal Practice Course with a master’s (LPC LLM) part-time in the evening, while working. Although this is not a requirement to become a trade mark attorney, I felt that it helped me get a better understanding of IP (through doing an IP module), and helped me develop my commercial, drafting and analytical skills, which would be complimentary to a career as a trade mark attorney.
After completing my LPC LLM, a trainee trade mark attorney role became available at Appleyard Lees. I immediately applied and was successfully employed as a trainee trade mark attorney in our Manchester team. I cannot thank everyone at Appleyard Lees enough for supporting me to get to this point. It truly is a company which supports its employees in so many ways, not only in career development.
If you would like an informal chat about my journey, or any of the roles mentioned above, please do not hesitate to contact me via our website or on LinkedIn. Please see our careers page, for a list of current opportunities.
