Fellows meets Ilya Kazi of Mathys & Squire 
Ilya offers an insight into what it is like to work at leading firm of patent and trade mark attorneys, Mathys & Squire.
Ilya has a Masters Degree in Natural Sciences from Cambridge University, specialising in physics and having conducted research within the field of medical imaging, and is the leader of the Information Technology & Engineering Group. He qualified as a Patent Attorney in 1996, and holds a Certificate in Intellectual Property from London University. He has significant experience in electrical, electronic, communications and computing technologies, and previously developed network communication software at IBM.
Describe a typical working day at Mathys & Squire
We don’t really have a typical working day as the structure and emphasis of work can vary quite dramatically. I usually spend my time dealing with new client enquiries and referrals from existing clients, talking to associates and helping them with their own portfolios, as well as completing oppositions work.
What sort of mix of clients do you deal with?
I have a large number of US clients, which make up around 50% of my work load. My work in the UK is predominantly with growing companies and start-ups; creating and implementing their strategies and focusing on the commercial aspects of their IP.
How is your work load split?
I oversee the associates and am on hand to help with any aspect of their work should they need it. This could be anything from drafting and prosecution, to oppositions and more strategic and commercially angled work.
Is there much opportunity for international travel?
There is ample opportunity; in fact at the moment I would be inclined to say there is too much! I have recently returned from California and am off to Washington on Wednesday. From there I plan to head straight to Munich and then to The Hague for some proceedings. I completed a ‘round the world’ trip last year, taking in LA, Korea and India. There must be a good reason for the trip however as it costs both time and money, but we are open to sending attorneys at all levels of seniority should it be called for.
How do you feel Mathys & Squire differ from other firms?
I believe we have a genuine focus on the client and what the client wants. We are committed to offering the best possible service, for example we do not charge the client for time used developing their IP strategy. Ours is not a passive ideology, we want to win and will do whatever it takes in order to do so. We do good work, we make money and we have fun.
Is there much opportunity for interaction between attorneys at different levels of seniority?
Oh yes. I make sure that every associate at any level of seniority has the opportunity to work with my clients. They are given work based on their competency, encouraging them to learn and develop…and thus be rewarded with interesting and more challenging work.
You have established offices outside of London, how do you feel these are integrated and what are the plans for the future?
Our offices are all growing and we are actively recruiting in most. We are in no way segregated and I work with the attorneys in all of our offices, for example I was in Cambridge and Manchester on multiple occasions last week and am constantly in contact over the phone when not visiting in person. It is the norm for me to pick up the phone and speak to someone irrespective of whether they are 5 doors down or 100 miles away.
Fellows and Associates would like thank Ilya for his time. If you’d like to find out more about Ilya and Mathys & Squire please visit www.mathys-squire.com. To share your views, comments and suggestions on this article email us at [email protected]