Patently the best area of law…
Intellectual property law (commonly known as IP) governs the ownership and accessibility of ideas and inventions on tangible and intangible concepts. In an extremely competitive world, IP is an integral part of business.
There are many different ways to protect the ownership of ideas, products or concepts, but these usually come in the form of patents, trademarks or copyrights.
Why intellectual property law important? What does it involve?
Much of an IP lawyer’s activity will involve providing legal advice on usage, commercial viability, marketing and distribution mechanisms, infringement or duplication, vesting of ownership and usage rights for any product or matter which falls within the ambit of IP. Like most legal areas, IP also has contentious and non-contentious components.
Most large firms will have separate departments handling IP, I.T. and life sciences, where the maximum amount of patent, copyright and trademark usage is concentrated. If this is a field you want to specialise in, it may better to join one of the mid-range and smaller boutique firms which work exclusively on intellectual property matters.
An IP lawyer’s day-to-day tasks can incorporate a wide array of activities, from issuing notices to parties infringing on a client’s rights, to trawling through various patent registries in relation to a new product, innovation or idea brought forward by a client.
If any disputes arise, an intellectual property lawyer will be required to initiate discussions between parties, as well as challenging decisions and rulings that might go against your client’s interests.
What makes a good IP lawyer?
IP lawyers get the opportunity to deal with fascinating yet technically complex subject-matters. Consequently, it’s important for these lawyers to be up-to-date with business and innovation trends, and understand and appreciate creativity.
Drafting expertise is essential since contracts and agreements are the lifeblood of any IP deal. Additionally, you will need to be flexible in your working style, as you will often work simultaneously on several projects at the same time.
It also helps to be organised so you can keep track of your workload. Furthermore, you will need to be able to discuss complex situations in a clear and concise way.