Traineeship Patent Attorney
Patent Attorney, what’s that?
As a patent attorney, you play an important role in bringing innovation to the market. You will advise clients about protecting their inventions and knowledge and actively help them manage and develop their patent portfolio. Within your team, you will be partnered with an experienced attorney and from day one you will be actively involved in the day-to-day business.
Training course Dutch Patent Attorney
Sharina tells you more about the training
What will you be doing?
Briefly, inventors come to NLO to apply for a patent for their inventions. These inventors vary from promising start-ups to multinational companies to university knowledge centres. As a patent attorney, you draft the patent application, support the application procedure and conduct any litigation proceedings in court.
Combining practice and theory
As a trainee patent attorney, you join one of our sector teams (Chemistry & Pharmacy, Biotech & Life Sciences, Physics & Engineering, Telecommunications & Software). Within your team you are partnered with an experienced patent attorney and coach to be actively involved in the day-to-day business from the start. You also follow the Dutch and/or European Professional Training Course for Patent Attorneys, which focuses on legal knowledge, as well as communicative and practical skills. After passing the exams, you will become a chartered Dutch and/or European patent attorney.
Training course European Patent Attorney
Gamze tells you more about the training
How to become a Patent Attorney at NLO
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Your journey to becoming a Patent Attorney: A four-year path
You start with our 100 days onboarding programme. During these days you will get to know the company, your colleagues and our clients. You will immediately start working in the field, while also attending the patent attorney training course. As a trainee patent attorney, you will grow into an independent consultant for innovative organisations, under the intensive supervision of an experienced patent attorney.
NLO Academy
During your traineeship, you will start at the NLO Academy: a varied in-house learning programme. The NLO Academy helps trainees get to know the organisation. Colleagues from various layers in the organisation explain their daily tasks, so you quickly become familiar with their activities. Together with fellow trainees you train to improve your soft skills in project management, presenting yourself professionally, communicating with clients and cooperating in an international workplace. The training courses are given by experts in the field: your own colleagues.
The NLO Academy is a great way of getting to know the company and the people. It is also a good way to become better acquainted with fellow trainees and the experienced staff. The NLO Academy does not have a permanent base, so trainees get to see all the NLO offices.
The aim of the NLO Academy is to make trainees feel at home at NLO and share experiences with like-minded trainees.
Year 1: Laying the Foundation
Your journey begins with a dual focus—depending on your background. If you're a native Dutch speaker, you’ll embark on the path to becoming both a Dutch Patent Attorney and a European Patent Attorney. For our international trainees, the focus is solely on the European qualification.
The Dutch training program, known as SBO (Stichting Beroepsopleiding), kicks off in January. This two-year course, delivered by Delta Patents, includes bi-weekly lectures and is designed to prepare you for the Dutch patent exams. The curriculum spans six core areas: general law, communication skills, patent law, and hands-on training in drafting and defending patent applications, as well as writing legal opinions on patent validity and infringement. In your first year, you’ll face your first Dutch exam.
Meanwhile, the European training begins in June with the Foundation Training, running through February. This program prepares you for the European Foundation Exam in March. You’ll dive into the essentials of the European Patent Convention (EPC) and the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), learning procedural law and honing your skills in claim analysis.
Year 2: Testing Your Knowledge
As you move into your second year, the Dutch training intensifies. You’ll take five exams throughout the year. Once you’ve passed them all and completed three years of work experience, you’ll be officially sworn in as a Qualified Dutch Patent Attorney by the Orde van Octrooigemachtigden.
For the European track, March marks your first major milestone: the Foundation Exam. After that, you’ll begin the M1 and M2 modules in June.
Year 3: Advancing Through the European Exams
March brings another challenge: the M1 and M2 exams. Passing these allows you to progress to the final stage of your European qualification—M3 and M4 training.
Year 4: Reaching the Finish Line
In your fourth year, you’ll sit the M3 and M4 exams in March. These final assessments test your ability to apply everything you’ve learned in real-world scenarios. Once you pass, you’ll earn your place in the Register of European Patent Attorneys—a significant achievement marking the culmination of your rigorous training.
Any questions? Contact us!
If you are interested in one of our vacancies or would like to have first hand information, please feel free to contact our recruiter Theres. She can connect you with one of our colleagues. They are happy to talk to you about the job and answer all your questions. Please feel free to contact our recruiter Theres.
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