Strong salary picture for trade mark profession
Most Chartered Trade Mark Attorney, trainee and paralegal positions are “being offered with an increased starting salary compared to 2020," a new report has found.
The findings, published by intellectual property recruitment specialist Dawn Ellmore, has shown an increase at many qualification and experience levels, with the higher ranges falling in only a handful of cases.
Commentary on the report from Dawn Ellmore Employment notes how the profession has adapted to agile ways of working in the past year and predicts that the market for intellectual property legal professionals will remain strong.
Most positions are “being offered with an increased starting salary compared to the 2020 figures,” the commentary goes on to report.
Chartered Trade Mark Attorneys
Trainee trade mark attorneys can expect to take home up to £34,000, with the upper limit rising to £45,000 for part qualified and £58,000 for those newly qualified.
This represents a slight change from the 2020 salary survey from Dawn Ellmore which put these top limits as £34,000, £43,000 and £60,000 respectively – this means a slight fall in top salaries among those who have just qualified, but an increase for part qualified attorneys.
Chartered Trade Mark Attorneys with between one and four years’ post-qualification experience have seen a rise of £2,000 up to £82,000.
Attorneys with more than five years’ experience are commanding at least £80,000 and partners £94,000.
| Job | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|
| Trainee trade mark attorney | £26,000 — £34,000 | £26,000 — £34,000 |
| Part qualified trade mark attorney | £33,000 — £43,000 | £33,000 — £45,000 |
| Newly qualified trade mark attorney | £45,000 — £60,000 | £45,000 — £58,000 |
| Qualified trade mark attorney 1-4 years' PQE | £54,000 — £80,000 | £54,000 — £82,000 |
| Qualified trade mark attorney 5+ years' PQE | £78,000+ | £80,000+ |
| Partnet/director/head of trade marks | £94,000+ | £94,000+ |
Paralegals
The reported salary ranges have increased for paralegals. Those with fewer than three years’ experience in London are earning up to £45,000, an increase of £3,000 and outside London a £4,000 increase up to £30,000.
Paralegals with more than five years’ experience can expect up to £57,000 in London and £53,000 outside, a small increase in both cases.
| Patent/trade mark paralegal | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|
| 1-3 years' experience |
£20,000 — £26,000 (London:£25,000 — £42,000) |
£23,000 — £30,000 (London:£28,000 — £45,000 |
| 3-5 years' experience |
£25,000 — £36,000 (London:£40,000 — £50,000) |
£28,000 — £37,000 (London: £42,000 — £50,000) |
| 5+ years' experience |
£32,000 — £52,000 (London:£42,000 — £55,000) |
£35,000 — £53,000 (London:£45,000 — £57,000) |
On its website Dawn Ellmore Employment said: “Our research shows that salaries have remained strong despite the difficult market conditions.
“This is evident in all aspects and levels of patent and trade mark attorney work, for IP solicitors, technical support staff, paralegals, IP specific support staff and business support staff including accounts and billing, HR and facilities staff.
“In addition to this, many employers are embracing agile working, and we are seeing many new instructions offering the option to work remotely.
“It is pleasing to see how the IP profession has evolved to cope with the challenges that have been thrown up over the past 12 months, and current indications show that the market will remain strong over the coming months.”
This assertion is backed up by IP recruitment agency Fellows and Associates which said: “Recent months have seen a significant increase in trade mark roles across the UK and Europe. In fact, we can’t remember the last time we successfully placed as many candidates in a six-month period and it’s showing no signs of slowing down.”
Click here to download the full report from Dawn Ellmore Employment which covers trade mark and patent attorneys and support staff.