INTERVIEW

How did you learn about the Patent Attorney profession and what inspired you to become a (European) Patent Attorney?

My Dad had been working with a Patent Attorney and suggested that it could be a good career for me. I found an “Inside Careers” (now IPCareers) guide on the patent profession in my University library and realised quite quickly that it was the perfect career for me.

Most people know that Patent Attorneys help clients obtain a patent. However, what other tasks are you responsible for? 

I’m now responsible for everything in my business. As you say, a big part of it is helping clients obtain patents (or, equally, saying when patenting might not be the best option), but business-related admin, marketing, business development, business innovation, etc. are all tasks I’m now responsible for.

If you had to split your role into science, law, and business, what is the proportion of each?

For me, technical work (patent drafting, patent prosecution etc.) is always a mix of science, law and business. Given my work in running various businesses, as well as client work, I guess I’d roughly split my role as 50% business, 25% science and 25% law.

What does the team structure at your workplace look like?

It’s just me at Russell IP, though I have external help for some content creation, administrative tasks etc! Other businesses are mostly just me, though my good Patent Attorney friend Guy Warner and I have set up a business, EQE Training Limited, to help train candidates taking EQE Papers A & B (drafting & amendment).

What does your average workday look like?

I don’t really have an average workday. Some days will be 100% Russell IP client work, others will be largely business-related admin, others will be working on new projects or ventures.

What would a dream workday as a (European) Patent Attorney look like for you?

Funnily enough, it would be more on the inventing / innovation side of things, though with a focus on patenting. As well as being a Patent Attorney, I’m an inventor with c. 30 granted patents from drones to dishwashers. If I could spend all day inventing (whether for myself or for clients) and thinking about how to protect that innovation, that would be the dream!

What is the most exciting aspect of being a (European) Patent Attorney for you?

I do think working on all sorts of new technologies is very exciting. As my career has progressed, I’d say that the most exciting part is the range of opportunities being a Patent Attorney creates; for example, I’ve been able to establish multiple different businesses that, either directly or indirectly, leverage my Patent Attorney qualifications and experience.  

What are your least favourite tasks?

It’s never nice to have to chase unpaid invoices, but fortunately my clients are generally very good at timely payment. It’s probably not a ‘task’ as such, but I’m not a fan of ‘office politics’ and having to deal with particularly difficult colleagues – why can’t everyone just get on!

Does your job allow you to have time for your hobbies? Do you have any side projects related to patents?

I make sure I allow time for my hobbies (mainly music and growing vegetables at the moment). I have such a long list of ventures (some ‘side projects’, others more of a focus) related to patents I’m sure I’ll end up forgetting some, but here’s a brief list:

• Personal inventing – as mentioned above, I have quite a few patents for my own ideas. I've already sold a relatively large drone patent portfolio I built.

• Forward Citations – making it easier to distil patent value from forward citation analysis.

• EQE Training – helping trainee Patent Attorneys pass EQE Papers A & B.

• Patently Jobvious – a completely free online job board for direct IP jobs.

• How To Pass FD2 – a training programme to help trainee Patent Attorneys pass FD2 (the UK patent drafting exam).

I also set up a yearly music event, DefibFest, in memory of my Dad to help raise awareness of and funds for defibrillators through the power of music.

If you could start your career over, would you change anything?

When I started in the profession, I thought “this can’t be that hard” and was too over-confident based on my actual ability; if I could go back to that time, I’d know that I knew a lot less than I thought I did.

If the Patent Attorney profession suddenly disappeared tomorrow, what else would you do?

I’d devote more time to DefibFest (see above). Although DefibFest is not-for-profit, I’d use my experience of running businesses to (hopefully) grow it into a bigger venture. If it was still possible to file patent applications as an inventor, I’d increase the amount of time I’d spend on that too.

What advice would you give someone that wants to become a European Patent Attorney?

Do it! It’s a great career and gives so many career options and transferrable skills.

What do you think about the future outlook of our profession?

I do think the profession is changing for the better. In my opinion, it’s getting less ‘stuffy’ than it was historically. Topics like diversity and inclusion and mental health are being more openly discussed than they were before, which I think is very important.

With more and more available software, do you think the work of European Patent Attorneys will change in the next 10 years?

I personally think that those who embrace new technology will benefit and those who ignore it or see it as a threat might not make the most of it. I’m personally most interested in software that automates manual tasks, making them less laborious, reducing errors, and reducing time spent on those tasks. I believe there are many parts of Patent Attorney work that can’t be automated and that we will probably need to focus more on those in the coming years.