You'll usually need an upper second class degree or higher, or postgraduate qualification, to apply for a training place with a company.

Most subjects are acceptable, though you may have an advantage with:

• law
• science
• engineering
• languages

After university, you would start as a trainee with a private practice of trade mark attorneys, or a large company with an in-house intellectual property department. You would study for professional exams. You'll also need 2 years' work experience to qualify.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
• a degree in any subject for a postgraduate course

You may be able to work your way up from a trade mark administrator or paralegal role.

To do this, you'll need a good level of general education including GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) in English and maths.

You'll also need around 5 years' experience before you can apply for professional training to qualify as a trade mark attorney.

You can apply for professional training with a firm to become a trade mark attorney, if you're a qualified solicitor or barrister.

You'll need:

• legal knowledge including court procedures and government regulations
• persuading skills
• to be thorough and pay attention to detail
• excellent verbal communication skills
• active listening skills
• analytical thinking skills
• excellent written communication skills
• the ability to think clearly using logic and reasoning
• to be able to use a computer and the main software packages confidently

In this role you could:

• carry out searches to see if a proposed trade mark already exists
• advise on intellectual property issues like design and copyright
• draw up contracts
• deal with UK and overseas registration authorities
• negotiate in disputes and take action if the client's trade mark rights are breached
• provide support to solicitors and barristers if a case goes to court
• handle renewals of existing trade marks, transfer of ownership and licensing

You could work in an office, at a client's business or in a court.