Laura von Hertzen, Bristows

Laura von Hertzen describes her training contract seat in the intellectual property litigation department at IP specialist firm, Bristows. She graduated with a degree in biology from Imperial College London and has a PhD in neuroscience from University College London (UCL).

From PhD in neuroscience to IP lawyer

The natural career progression for a doctor of neuroscience would be to continue in academic research or to move into industry. However, during my PhD I realised that lab work simply wasn’t for me. I was reluctant to leave life sciences completely so I looked for a career that would allow me to use my science background while also offering breadth of work and an intellectual challenge. A career in intellectual property law as an IP solicitor , and in particular as a patent litigator specialising in life sciences, ticked all of those boxes.

Researching points of intellectual property law

I am enjoying the opportunities I have to continue learning: part of my role is to research points of law and the technical backgrounds to cases. I also draft advice notes, liaise with colleagues; clients and other lawyers; attend conferences with counsel; and go to court hearings and meetings with experts and clients. From time to time I may have to draft expert reports, help prepare injunctions to prevent sales of products that infringe IP or write an article for a legal journal.

Some of the learning curves are steeper than others: on one occasion I had to appear before a Master (an officer at the Royal Courts of Justice who deals with preliminary matters before trial) with no time to prepare! I’m pleased to say that I got the master’s approval for the request I was making.