CareersProfessionals

Professionals

As a patent attorney at FPA, you will work alongside our highly skilled and trained team, completing diverse work for both local and international clients.

Our attorneys’ qualifications and expertise span a diverse range of technologies, drawing on their specialist skills to deliver bespoke, commercially strategic advice.

Recognition of the leadership and expertise of our attorneys resulted in 92% of our Principal attorneys being included in the IAM Patent 1000 rankings in 2022. By the same body, FPA was awarded ‘Gold’ for its prosecution work: ‘FPA is widely regarded as one of the country’s foremost prosecution shops’.

Work we do

A patent attorney is a member of a specialised legal profession qualified to write, obtain and advise clients about patents. A patent is a monopoly granted for a new scientific invention, relating to anything from computers and electronics to gene sequences.

FPA is widely known for its depth of knowledge and experience across all IP rights, including patents, trademarks, copyright, designs and confidential information.

According to IAM Patent 1000 in 2022, ‘FPA deftly navigates a wide array of industries, courtesy of its technically diverse and versatile team who are lauded by patrons for their “unwavering focus and attention to detail” as well as their ability to put forth creative arguments.

Meet our FPA professionals

Training

We provide both in-depth, on the job, coaching as well as formalised internal and external training opportunities to our staff. Whether you are a junior attorney or more established in your career, FPA will work with you to identify opportunities to continue with your professional and personal development.

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Career development and progression

To qualify as a registered patent attorney, you need to have a science or engineering degree, complete on-the-job training with a patent attorney for more than one year, and pass examinations in 9 prescribed subject groups. There are postgraduate university courses offering various groups of these subjects at the University of Melbourne and the University of Technology Sydney.

Once you qualify as a patent attorney, FPA offers a clear career trajectory with the most senior position being Principal. Key performance indicators for promotion are clearly outlined.

We conduct formal annual performance appraisals with periodic check ins (our 1 on 1 catch ups) to check in on your goals and how you are going, and to identify what support or resources would be helpful to you.