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Trade mark attorney

Trade mark attorneys advise clients about registering and protecting designs and trade marks.

Average salary (a year)

£20,000 Starter

to

£100,000 Experienced

Typical hours (a week)

37 to 39 a week

You could work

evenings occasionally

How to become a trade mark attorney

You can get into this job through:

  • a university course
  • working towards this role
  • applying directly

University

You'll usually need an upper second class degree or higher, or postgraduate qualification, to apply for a training place with a company. Most subjects are acceptable, though law, science, engineering or languages may give you an advantage.

You'll start as a trainee with a private practice firm of trade mark attorneys, or a large company with an in-house intellectual property department, and study for professional exams. You'll also need 2 years' work experience to qualify.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
  • a degree in any subject for a postgraduate course

More information

Work

You may be able to work your way up from a trade mark administrator or paralegal role.

To do this, you'll need a good level of general education including GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) in English and maths. You'll also need around 5 years' experience before you can apply for professional training to qualify as a trade mark attorney.

Direct application

You can apply for professional training with a firm to become a trade mark attorney, if you're a qualified solicitor or barrister.

More information

Registration

Further information

You'll find more advice about training to become a trade mark attorney from The Chartered Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys.

What it takes

Skills and knowledge

You'll need:

  • legal knowledge including court procedures and government regulations
  • knowledge of English language
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • active listening skills
  • analytical thinking skills
  • the ability to read English
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • the ability to think clearly using logic and reasoning
  • to be able to use a computer and the main software packages confidently

What you'll do

Day-to-day tasks

Your day-to-day duties could include:

  • carrying out searches to see if a proposed trade mark already exists
  • advising on intellectual property issues like design and copyright
  • drawing up contracts
  • dealing with UK and overseas registration authorities
  • negotiating in disputes, and taking action if the client's trade mark rights are broken
  • providing back-up to solicitors and barristers if a case goes to court
  • handling renewals of existing trade marks, transferring ownership and licensing

Working environment

You could work in a court, in an office or at a client's business.

Career path and progression

With experience, you could move into senior management, or partnership in a firm.

Current opportunities

Apprenticeships In England

We can't find any apprenticeship vacancies in England for a trade mark attorney right now.

The Find an apprenticeship service can help you with your search, send alerts when new apprenticeships become available and has advice on how to apply.

Courses In England

Access to HE Diploma (Law)

  • Provider: WEST NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COLLEGE
  • Start date: 02 September 2020
  • Location: Mansfield

Access to HE: Business with Law

  • Provider: HULL COLLEGE
  • Start date: 07 September 2020
  • Location: HULL
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