Route to Qualification

There are clearly defined examination routes for the Patent and Trade Mark Professions including some exams common to both:



Completion of all of these Patent exams will allow candidates to practise as a fully Qualified UK Chartered and European Patent Attorney. Candidates who complete the Trade Mark exams can practice as a Qualified Trade Mark Attorney. Qualification is only permitted once candidates have completed 2 years' work in the profession.

Exams are sat once annually and can be re-taken if appropriate. The UK exams are taken each November, with results announced at the end of the following March. The European exams (EQE's) are taken each March with the results announced in the following August.

Additionally a Post-Graduate Diploma in Intellectual Property / LLM is run out of one of 4 universities: Queen Mary (University of London); Manchester; Bournemouth and Brunel. Completion of one of these courses will result in exemption from all the Foundation Papers.

Furthermore, candidates who have passed the Law Degree (LLB), Masters (LLM), Post-Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL), Legal Practice Course (LPC) or Bar Vocational Course (BVC) have varying degrees of exemptions within the IP exam process.

As of October 2010, the new Trade Mark Qualification route (as above) has begun, to consolidate the previous exam structure into two more formal courses: the Law Course, run by Queen Mary, and the Practice Course, run by Nottingham Law School. Candidates are still required to have a couple of years' experience to be eligible to qualify. Trade Mark Attorneys who are already part way through the previous exam structure have until November 2012 to take or retake their remaining exams and qualify under the old route.

Private Practice firms who recruit candidates at a raw graduate level will look to support candidates through this process. Some will encourage candidates to take all the Foundation Papers individually, whereas others will encourage attendance on one of the IP Diplomas to gain exemption from the Foundation Papers. For further information please see our 'Guide to Graduates' below or speak to one of our consultants by calling 0113 245 3338 or 0203 440 5628. Alternatively, please catherine.french@saccomann.com