New trainees join Forresters in Birmingham

One of Europe’s leading patent and trade mark firms has recruited eight trainees as part of its commitment to developing talent and expertise for the future.

The trainees are working at the firm’s Birmingham, London and Munich offices. At the Birmingham office are trainee patent attorneys Thomas Heath, Dr Robert Paul and Callum Watson, who have all joined the firm’s technology and engineering team. Thomas Heath said he is looking forward to using his background in engineering and manufacturing to help clients. “I studied mechanical engineering at Coventry University and the University of Warwick, and had placements at engineering consultancies, including within the automotive industry, which has been good experience for working in the West Midlands area,” he said.

“A couple of the projects during the placements were client facing, which I really enjoyed and so I’m glad to be able to have the opportunity to do that every day with Forresters.” Thomas said he’s enjoying working with his mentor, senior associate Dr Emma Palmer. “As trainees we work one-to-one with senior professionals on projects that count towards our training,” said Thomas. “Because we are working on real cases I’m learning new skills without really noticing it. I was attracted to working at Forresters because of this combination of the excellent training programme and being able to build skills as you go along.”

Dr Robert Paul worked as a mechanical engineer before joining Forresters and is looking forward to graduating as a UK and European patent attorney. “I decided to become a patent attorney because the work looked fascinating and I wanted a structured career path where I could really challenge myself,” said Robert who achieved a PhD in composite materials at the University of Manchester. “I was attracted to Forresters because of their hands-on approach to training and I’ve already been involved with a range of interesting inventions.”

Robert is working with Dr Nick Palmer, a partner at Forresters who has expertise in a range of technologies. Robert said: “I’ve really enjoyed everything I’ve done so far and I’m working with a great group of people. Work has ranged from search reports to understanding why a patent examiner didn’t allow certain claims. I’m looking forward to working with inventors and clients to ensure they have the IP protection they need to get their product off the ground. It will be really exciting to see the process from start to finish.”

Callum Watson joined Forresters after working as a mechanical design engineer and he is being mentored by senior associate Dr Jagvir Purewal. Callum said he was looking into becoming a patent attorney when he first heard about Forresters. “One of the main things that attracted me to Forresters was their highly regarded training programme,” said Callum who graduated from the University of Birmingham in 2017 with a Master’s degree in mechanical engineering. 

“Forresters really stands out from others because you get involved in the company straight away, working in a team on real life projects. It’s great to be able to help different companies and learn about their inventions and products. Everyone at the firm has been friendly and welcoming and we have already had a couple of get togethers so everyone can get to know each other.”

Among those mentoring the new trainees is Dr Nick Palmer, who joined the firm 13 years ago as a trainee patent attorney. Nick said: “We are delighted to welcome Callum, Robert and Thomas at what is an exciting time for Forresters as the firm continues to go from strength to strength. Our trainee programme attracts talented individuals and it’s not surprising that many of our associates and partners started at the firm as trainees.”

Senior associate Dr Emma Palmer said: “We always want our trainees to have the best experience possible during their training and this is one of the reasons why they are involved in a wide variety of work and are considered a vital part of the team they join.” Dr Jagvir Purewal added: “Recruiting talented trainees every year is a natural part of Forresters’ commitment to bringing new patent and trade mark attorneys into the profession. We enjoy mentoring the trainees to help them develop skills and knowledge because it not only leads to long-term career progression of the trainees, but it also brings added benefits to our clients.”