UK Intellectual Property Market Report, September 2015, by Pete Fellows
It’s been a little while since we at Fellows & Associates produced one of these, so here is a current market summary from our point of view. This article is focused on the UK private practice market but I may allude to some of the international work we have too, I haven’t decided yet. It will be a surprise for us both.
Chemistry Patent Attorneys
There are signs that positions for chemists are at last increasing. However, I would suggest you pause your optimism. It is true that there have been a few more chemistry roles available over the last six months or so but it has hardly been a deluge and in some cases it has been due to reasons other than a correlation with an increased workload. The prospects outside of London look particularly dim, with very little happening in this area at all. If you want to move positions now you need to be exhibit a combination of patience (it could take a while) and bravery (in the sense that an offer you receive may be the only one you get, so you need to be brave enough to take it, or not, without an alternative to compare it to). Jobs are particularly limited at Senior Associate level and upwards; most of the activity has been from part qualified up to newly qualified level.
Biotechnology Attorneys
It is nowhere near 2007’s biotechnology recruitment boom at the moment, but it’s certainly not as bad as it has been. In fact, biotechnology has been one of the busier technical areas over the last 12 months. There has also been a greater range of positions recently, from part qualified all the way up to and including Partner level. The variety of work has also increased, from heavily litigious portfolios to ones with breadth and variety. This surge is mostly London focused, however there have been biotechnology vacancies in the regions too.
Electronics Attorneys
Recruitment in electronics has slowed quite a bit in recent months. It still remains busy but nowhere near where it was 12-18 months ago. There are issues though. It is very difficult to find people willing to move jobs, so for firms recruiting, the fact that they have less competition for available candidates is not producing the choice they might have anticipated. This reluctance to move does create an opportunity for candidates willing to consider a change; larger starting salaries are being offered and typically, firms are more flexible in what they will consider. We also have an abundance of opportunities outside of London. If you wish to relocate now is probably the best time to go for it and take advantage of the favourable circumstances.
Mechanical Attorneys
It has been a reasonably steady ship in recent times. We have a constant trickle through of both jobs and candidates and a good spread of positions across the UK. It is the market that is most behaving like one might expect, in the sense that if you are a good candidate there’s a good chance you will secure interviews with firms, but when you do you are likely to be competing with one or two other candidates.
Trade Mark Attorneys
As is usually the case, reporting on movements in the trade mark sector is perilous as it tends to have bursts of activity followed by substantial lulls. It is therefore difficult to be sure whether or not there is a particular trend as such. What I will say is that there has been a change to at least some firms considering people close to partnership, or indeed existing partners, and also most recruitment seems to be at qualified or near qualified level. But don’t read too much into that, it could be very different by next week.
Paralegal Recruitment
This brief section is more about our recent experience than a market report in particular, but it’s a very good time to be a paralegal if you wish to move abroad. We have opportunities in the Middle East and Europe for roles with huge potential.
A Note on In-House
There is almost nothing doing. There has been the odd vacancy in recent years but companies are often much more frugal when it comes to salaries offered, it is incredibly competitive to get a job when one is advertised because in-house positions still are attractive to a great many people despite the issues of remuneration. The overwhelming majority of recruitment has been at around finalist/newly qualified level. Having said that we are also seeing a great deal of people currently in in-house positions wanting to move back to private practice which is quite an interesting trend. To speculate, I would imagine opportunities to progress beyond a specific level may be problematic unless attorneys are willing to relocate, and they are likely seeing peers progress more quickly at private practices than in industry positions during the same time period.
Pete Fellows is the Managing Director of Fellows and Associates. He is happy to give his opinion on all things whether you want it or not. In this case he is hoping you do otherwise there is something seriously wrong with our business model.