Case studies: Patent assistant: Robbie Berryman

Robbie graduated from a four year Masters degree (MPhys) in Physics from the University of York in 2007. He now works as a patent assistant for D Young & Co.

About a year before I graduated, a friend told me what a patent attorney does. This sounded interesting so I decided to research the profession more. After carrying out a short period of work experience and attending a patent firm’s open day I decided that I wanted to apply for a job in this area.

I applied to a number of different patent attorneys before graduating and I was invited to a couple of interviews. I was offered my present job four months before I graduated and began it two months after finishing my course.

My physics degree was important because without a science degree I could not have become a patent attorney. However, I rarely use the specific subject-matter of my degree - most of the inventions I have been working on relate more to electronics and computing than physics. 

Most days I perform some aspect of ‘patent prosecution’ - trying to persuade the patent office to grant a client’s patent application. I take the necessary steps once a report has been issued by the examiner at the patent office indicating whether the patent application should be granted. This usually involves writing letters to the patent office to argue why the patent application should be granted, and if necessary, amending the application to overcome the examiner’s objections.

I also do some work drafting new patent applications for inventions. This involves meeting with the inventor to discuss their invention and preparing claims which define the extent of the legal monopoly sought by the application. I also prepare drawings and a description of the invention and once the entire specification has been agreed with the inventor, we file the patent application at the patent office.

As I am not yet fully qualified, a qualified patent attorney checks my work before it is sent to the patent office, overseas attorney or client. After I am qualified, I will be able to work unsupervised. I am currently UK qualified, but still need to take European qualifying exams before I will be fully qualified. Once this is done, I will take on more responsibility for managing cases, deadlines, and clients.

I enjoy the variety of my role. Every case has a different invention and the variety of technologies is always interesting, as is learning how things work that I didn’t know before. It is also very satisfying when you find out that a patent application will be granted because an argument/amendment you prepared several months ago has worked.

The exams are the most challenging part of the job. They’re tough as they test your judgment more than your knowledge. My firm however, sends me on external study courses, organises in house tutorials to prepare for the exams, and provides study leave before sitting exams, which has been very useful. Nevertheless, the exams require a lot of preparation, most of which takes place in evenings and weekends outside of work hours.

I would say to anyone who wants to get into this career to apply to as many firms as possible to give yourself the best chance of getting a job. Read career guides and do your research on the job before you apply or attend interviews. The more you know about the job, the better you will come across in the interview.