James Lorriman

Throughout my undergraduate degree, I knew I wanted to maintain a strong element of academic science in a future career. Undertaking my PhD provided the perfect opportunity to experience the research side of this, whilst allowing me to gain confidence in understanding technically and theoretically challenging scientific problems. I really enjoyed my PhD, but knew when it concluded it would be time for a change, potentially involving work with biomedical discoveries from a more commercial angle.

I had heard of the patent profession at seminars and conferences and decided to do some further research. I arranged informal chats over a coffee with current trainee attorneys and was really intrigued by the opportunity the patent profession offered to employ a broad knowledge of academic and industrial research within a field of law. Most notably, the problem-solving approach required seemed to mirror the mindset I was required to adopt throughout my PhD, an aspect of which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Fast forward to post-PhD completion and I am now thoroughly enjoying my time at J A Kemp. The firm, and all those in it, have made the transition from academic research into patent law as smooth as possible. On joining J A Kemp, you will be assigned a mentor, or mentors, who are partners or associates in the firm. Mentors are always willing to share their extensive knowledge, support, and ensure you are provided a broad variety of work to experience all aspects of the patent landscape. For myself, this has involved working on cases involving antibody therapeutics, peptide therapies, biomarkers, as well as ever relevant novel targets against COVID-19. It’s intriguing to observe first-hand the breadth of discoveries made by clients from both research and industrial bioscience backgrounds throughout the world.

Coming from a research background, becoming accustomed to understanding and working within a legal practice can be challenging. J A Kemp make every possible effort to ensure this is smooth. As a junior trainee, in-house tutorials led by recently qualified attorneys or partners provide a strong grounding to the law governing the majority of work we do. In addition, weekly team meetings in which a member of the team discusses a recent aspect of case law provides the perfect opportunity to assimilate knowledge from a group of experienced partners and associates alike.

Beyond this, the regular social events offered at J A Kemp, both firm wide and within your team, provide the perfect opportunity to get to know your colleagues and creates a strong family-feel within the firm.

I really look forward to my future a J A Kemp and would strongly encourage anyone with an interest in the commercial aspects of innovative scientific research to consider a career in intellectual property law, especially at J A Kemp.