A Day In The Life

09:00 am: I arrive at my desk and check the emails that I have received overnight. The IP team works at a fast pace with new matters almost every day so no day or even hour looks the same! I flag the most important tasks for the day – often this is dictated by hard deadlines we have for any filings or submissions.

9:30 am: I call the UK Intellectual Property Office on behalf of an associate to check the status of a couple of trademark applications for a client.

10.00 am: I have my bi-weekly catch up with the Partner, Nick. We touch base on matters I am working on and identify areas I can get more involved in. It is also a great time to chat about careers and get some insightful advice!

10.30 am: My supervisor Martin has asked me to help with preparing clearance advice and a search report summary for a potential trade mark that one of our clients, a global tech company, wants to use. Carrying out searches for potential trade marks is an important stage in the life cycle of an intellectual property right.

1.00 pm: I finalise the search report for the proposed trade mark and send the draft to my supervisor for review. I grab lunch with the other trainees in the office and then go for a walk by the river.

2.00 pm: I have received emails over lunch from local counsel in Europe on a couple of trade mark infringement matters. The associate leading the matter asks me to review the advice and draft reporting emails for the client, updating them and providing recommendations on how to proceed next.

2:30 pm: I dial into a call with an external IP barrister who is helping us on a pro bono matter, which has an upcoming hearing at the UK Intellectual Property Office. I take notes during the call and draft an update to send to the client.

3.00 pm: I work on preparing an updated action list and matter plan for one of our clients, a leading Formula 1 team. Once completed, I send across to the relevant associates for their input.

3.30 pm: I have a catch-up call with an associate based in the Paris office. I am helping to draft submissions called Observations in an EU trade mark opposition at the EU Intellectual Property Office. She gives me background on the matter and we discuss strategy. I find it helpful to bounce ideas and questions before I start research and drafting.

4.00 pm: I have an afternoon tea break with some of my IP colleagues – it is great to be able to catch up in person now that we are back in the office.

4.15 pm: I review my notes from the call and begin work on drafting the Observations. I use different specialist IP platforms to research trade mark case law and review various documents to collate the necessary facts for the draft.

7.00 pm : I prepare my to do-list for the next day and make a note of any upcoming deadlines in my calendar before logging off for the day.