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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.

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Courses In England

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