Paralegals provide administrative and substantive back-up to the lawyers.

Last Updated: October 25, 2024

There’s a whole range of roles for people who want to work alongside IP professionals and help their organisations run smoothly.

Last Updated: November 1, 2024

A lot of the best research goes on in universities. Sometimes, research teams realise they’ve created or discovered something with a wider application. Technology (tech) transfer officers – also known as “knowledge exchange” practitioners – work with research teams and their advisers to commercialise these ideas.

Last Updated: November 1, 2024

IP is a world of intrigues and innovations, breakthroughs and break-ups. Somebody needs to tell these stories – sometimes to the people who work in the sector; sometimes to the businesses, scientists and artists who need to understand it; and sometimes to the wider world.

Last Updated: November 2, 2024

Patents can be complicated and technical, and they need to be understood by people all over the world. In order to translate them into other languages, technical translators obviously need to be linguistic wizards (they always translate into their mother tongue), but they also need to understand the often cutting-edge science in the patents – as well as the associated legal terms.

Last Updated: November 1, 2024

Legal secretaries do all sorts of jobs such as filing and routine tasks, managing emails and post, keeping records up to date and reminding paralegals and lawyers of what needs to be done and when.

Last Updated: November 1, 2024

Not to be confused with the paralegals who work alongside IP lawyers, an “IP paralegal” provides a specific type of support for patent and trade mark attorneys, some of it administrative and some of it requiring knowledge of specialist laws and procedures.

Last Updated: November 1, 2024

A patent examiner who works at the European Patent Office (EPO) performs a similar job to a UK patent examiner who works at the UK Intellectual Property Office.

Last Updated: November 1, 2024

Formalities examiners check that when people (or companies) apply for their ownership of IP to be officially recognised, the application process runs by the rules laid down by law.

See also our entries about patent examiners and trade mark examiners.

Last Updated: November 1, 2024

Working at the UK’s Intellectual Property Office (IPO), a trade mark examiner assesses whether an application for a trade mark registration meets legal requirements.

See also our entries about formalities examiners and patent examiners.

Last Updated: November 1, 2024

Working at the UK’s Intellectual Property Office (IPO), a patent examiner decides whether applications for patents can be granted.

See also our entries about trade mark examiners and formalities examiners.

Last Updated: November 1, 2024

If you invent something, how do you know no one else has thought of it before? How do you find out if it’s new enough to be patentable, or if someone else already has a patent that could prevent you using it? – You need a patent searcher.

Note that there are also searchers who do a similar job, but analysing trade mark rights instead of patents and inventions. For this work, you would not need a science degree.

Last Updated: November 1, 2024

A solicitor gives legal advice to clients and represents them in negotiations or disputes.

Last Updated: July 23, 2025

A patent attorney is someone who’s qualified to give advice about patents, to get patents granted, and to help businesses make use of their patents, including to stop other people copying their ideas.

Last Updated: November 1, 2024

If you own a brand, you want to ensure that no one can cash in on your success by copying the unique features that make it recognisable. A trade mark attorney can help you do that.

Last Updated: November 1, 2024

When we think of lawyers, we often think of people arguing a case in court. That’s pretty much the job of a barrister – other lawyers don’t actually appear in court so much.

Last Updated: November 1, 2024