Following the European qualifying examination (EQE) results in June many newly qualified European Patent Attorneys are entering the next stage of their careers and beginning to contemplate their prospects.
Attorneys following qualification will be looking to their current firms for growth and development opportunities. Many have spent their traineeships under the close mentorship of a partner or several partners and have been supervised by senior members of the team, and thus be looking to establish themselves within the firm to ‘climb the ladder’.
As attorneys become qualified, their responsibilities begin to grow. They will begin to receive higher expectations from their firms, including the expectation to deal with more challenges, higher work volumes, increased target hours, and involvement in business development for the firm. Many attorneys at this point will seek to gain more experience through direct contact with clients, allowing them to form closer relationships and gain a better understanding of their IP strategy.
When it comes to reviewing your options as a newly qualified attorney, considerations should be made according to personal goals and circumstances. Contemplating a move could be driven by a number of reasons; to gain experience in a variety of technology areas, working within a firm of a different size or culture, location, experience in more contentious work, or a particular IP focus area, etc.
Further to this, there is also the option to go in-house. Working in-house gives you exposure to a varied range of practice areas across a wide geographical area. Attorneys can get involved at an earlier stage in the inventing process and have the responsibility to manage the patent portfolio to the end. Furthermore, they can work closely with the scientists and the technology, and have full visibility of the IP strategy.
Whether you’re actively looking for your next career step or just looking for guidance on your next career opportunity, Adamson & Partners would be delighted to help. We have extensive specialist experience in the Intellectual Property and Legal sectors and can connect you with the best clients from our network. Contact us today for a confidential discussion.
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