Trademark attorney

Hi

I am interested in a career as a trademark attorney and would be interested in any advice/ names of firms that anyone has to offer!

Many thanks!

Reply 1

Lewisy-boy

Firstly, do you mean solicitor or barrister? There is no such thing as attorney, that's a yank thing. SEcondly, do you know you want to do trademark specifically and not general IP (including copyright, patent etc aswell)... seems very narrow to knwo you want to do TM only!

Reply 2

diemjones

A trademark attorney is neither a barrister or solicitor. It doesn't require conversion course as training is on the job. Other IP jobs don't offer this as far as I know...unless you know of anything? Trademarks are something that particularly appeal to me rather than other types of law

Reply 3

Lewisy-boy

There is no such thing as an attorney in the UK... you can't practice as any kind of lawyer unless you're qualified I don't understand the job you're asking about.

EDIT: after a brief search there is something called the Institute of Trademark Attorneys on the UK government website... I'm going to look into this, because I'm curious and didn't realise such a thing existed in the UK. As far as I know, hwoever, most major trademark stuff will still be done by the IP depts of big firms. But I could be wrong, apologies.

Reply 4

diemjones

look at this firm then...

http://www.marks-clerk.com/

note the use of the term 'attorney'

Reply 5

TommehR

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_Kingdom_patent_and_trade_mark_attorney_firms

What a useless list, sorry.

Reply 6

Lewisy-boy

although if you click the link, it explains how to qualify in the UK and the EPO, which I would imagine are the most relevant to you.

Reply 7

diemjones

Thanks!

I'm getting the impression that there are few routes into, but I still find it extremely interesting so it is probably a case of perserving until I eventually find a job!

Reply 8

Elles

'trademark attorney' = 'patent attorney'?

I know nothing about the details - but know a trainee patent attorney at Carpmaels & Ransford (another name for you!) & another friend who is considering it as a career. They both have postgraduate science degree backgrounds - the latter wasn't sure whether or not to continue his DPhil, so contacted firms speculatively & was offered interviews/work experience.

Reply 9

Lewisy-boy

Trademarks and patents are different. You trademark a name or logo, whereas patents tend to apply to scientific designs and inventions. I would have thought the latter was more interesting, but the OP seems to prefer trademarks.

Reply 10

Elles

Ah, thanks... that makes sense & probably accounts for the invariable doctorate in science background of the people I know interested in patents!

Googled the firm for their website though & the intro blurb suggests they might be relevant to someone interested in trademarks too & they have profiles of their "Trade Mark Team" :smile:

Carpmaels and Ransford is a forward-thinking and progressive firm specialising in all areas of intellectual property. In addition to our expertise in patents, trade marks, designs and copyright, we advise our clients on all other aspects of intellectual property, such as plant varieties, licensing, franchising, due diligence, unfair competition, mis-use of confidential information and ownership disputes.

Reply 11

Lewisy-boy

Does anyone know what these 'attorneys' are allowed to do in full, because they aren't legally qualified at all from what I can see.

Reply 12

Ethereal

Trademark/Patent attorneys are more often than not a specialist in the related field ie engineering or science etc. They have the specific technical knowledge to be able to say how/why something is new/inventive/different/registerable and then draft the relevent documents. To be honest any Sol/Bar who attempts to draft patent or trademark papers is a bit of a muppet if they don't have the requisite technical expertise.

I believe the usual thing to do is to get a science or engineering degree in the first instance.

Reply 13

Zarathustra

Ethereal

Trademark/Patent attorneys .... I believe the usual thing to do is to get a science or engineering degree in the first instance.

Yup. For Patent Attorneys at least:

"Patent attorney
Patent attorneys advise clients on applying for new patents with the UK Patent Office. Experienced attorneys will also manage patent portfolios internationally, helping the client to get the most commercial advantage out of a company’s patents and fighting off any disputes.

The job is very technical and typically requires a science degree. Work is often very specialised as well. Patent attorneys usually concentrate on a particular type of patent, such as pharmaceutical, engineering and electronics.

It can be a challenging job and there are only 1,500 such attorneys in the UK. But their advice is highly sought-after and attorneys often enjoy a more open and relaxed working culture than their solicitor counterparts’.

Although some patent attorneys work in law firms, they cannot be a partner in business with a solicitor. This is because patent attorneys qualify with the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys rather than the Law Society.

As a result patent attorneys tend to work in-house in large technology or pharmaceutical companies or in niche patent attorney firms such as Boult Wade Tennant or Marks & Clerk.
Experienced patent attorneys can earn upwards of £100,000 to reach as much as law firm partners. They also command positions of authority in companies such as Siemens or GlaxoSmithKline, which rely heavily on R&D departments." - http://www.thelawyer.com/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=124834&d=386&h=388&f=387

Reply 14

Lewisy-boy

OK that is an interesting position, I guess I've learnt something new recently.