Matthew Allen studied the Management of Intellectual Property Law MSc, and graduated in 1998. He is now a UK and European Patent Attorney and owner of Allen IP Limited. Find out about his experience:
I had studied mechanical engineering at Queen Mary. I was aware that working in industry it is possible to get into a niche in mechanical engineering. That is fine for some people, but because of my personality that felt a little limiting. I was working as a patent searcher and soon realised that if I became a patent attorney I could combine mechanical engineering with law, writing, and linguistics. I further found out that law was required, and the Intellectual Property Law MSc was a way to fast track entry into the patent attorney profession. So, I went for it.
My favourite memory was the experience of meeting incredibly international and varied course mates, which led to an interesting exchange of culture, culminating in a trip around Europe with some course mates after the exams.
When I come across CCLS alumni in the virtual world, I tend to think before meeting them, that they can be relied upon, which is huge.
Patent attorney firms consider the Intellectual Property Law MSc (and the equivalent Certificate course) at CCLS as desirable, some see it as a pre-requisite, so trainees can move through quicker, and so it helps enormously.
It is one of the few establishments that offers the Intellectual Property Law MSc. It has a favourable London location.
Would you like your story featured? Contact ccls-alumni@qmul.ac.uk.