16/12/2025
We’re proud to welcome our 2025 trainee cohort, who have now completed their first three months of training and shared thoughtful reflections on their early experiences. Over this period, they’ve been building strong foundations, taking on new challenges, and gaining valuable hands-on experience.
Each year, we recruit a number of Trainee Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys to join our successful firm. Trainees join us as Technical Assistants and are allocated to our EES (Electrical, Electronics and Software), EMCP (Engineering, Materials and Consumer Products), LS (Life Sciences) and TM (Trade Mark) practice groups. To help our staff reach their full potential, we provide a comprehensive and structured training programme that is recognised as being one of the best in the profession.
We invest time and resources in nurturing our talent, ensuring meaningful support from day one. Every trainee will work directly with our partners, who will oversee their training, guide their development and help them step into their client-facing roles.
As a complement to this traditional learn by working training, we have developed a bespoke training programme for our new trainees, which is intended to bring them up to speed with some of the core concepts of intellectual property law, and to provide a degree of communal practical tuition.
Our training Programme
The training programme begins with a two-week intensive training induction (“Boot Camp”), introducing the basics of trade mark law, patent law and other intellectual property rights including design protection. The induction also includes sessions dealing with important practical aspects of the job including, but not limited to “how to communicate with clients”, “effective marketing”, and “the role of a trainee”. The programme then continues with weekly sessions devoted to practical training. Our trainees work through different tasks of increasing complexity each week, and their work is then assessed by a partner or qualified attorney. Both communal and individual feedback is provided as part of a group discussion. Through these practical sessions, new trainees experience the same core real-world examples, equipping them with the tools to grow their skills collectively.
After this, new trainees will be supported through a 13-week part-time course leading to the Certificate in Intellectual Property Law (currently provided by Queen Mary University of London). The Chartered Trade Mark Attorney qualification is through the part-time course at Nottingham, also known as the Trade Mark Practice, Professional Certificate.
“We want our trainees to have access to the best support they can get, so to support them through the formal qualification process, we offer on-the-job training, personalised in-house tutorials and access to external training courses. They are also encouraged to take advantage of courses and lectures provided by the Chartered Institute of Patent/Trade Mark Attorneys.
This year’s Boot Camp was a great success. A big thank you to all those involved in helping create a seamless and enjoyable programme of events. The trainees enjoyed lots of welcome lunches, social events and the opportunity to meet with colleagues across R&G!
We wish them every success as they progress through their training journey!” – Chantalle Desouza, Talent Acquisition & Diversity Executive
Meet our 2025 graduate trainees and hear their reflections on the R&G “boot camp” and training
Harry Cunliffe, Trainee Patent Attorney (EES)
“Having trained at Reddie & Grose for a few months now, I feel strongly that it has been everything that I expected when beginning a new career. During the two week boot camp, I was not only given a thorough introduction to intellectual property law, but also a chance to learn from a great range of people throughout the firm. Each session of boot camp felt carefully planned to make sure that there were no gaps in our basic knowledge before we began doing hands on work; It was an excellent induction to IP and to R&G, as well as a nice way to bond with fellow trainees.
From the very beginning I have worked with real cases, real clients and real deadlines. I have the privilege of working on a great range of interesting technologies and unique cases so that I never feel like my learning stagnates, and I am constantly encouraged to take on new challenges and solve new problems. There is a good balance between independent learning and structured training.
The work can be very challenging, but regardless of the challenge I always have an opportunity to discuss problems so that I can understand where I might have gone wrong, and I appreciate that other trainees, associates and partners at the firm are always willing to take time out of their day to give me guidance when needed.
The firm also organises weekly training sessions to provide direct training on important concepts for the job, as well as to expose us to scenarios that we might not have an opportunity to work on often. These are also a great opportunity to catch up with other trainees in my cohort. I’ve learned a great amount in the months since starting, and I’m looking forward to more opportunities to improve. “
Olivia Endacott, Trainee Trade Mark Attorney
“The first two weeks as a trainee at R&G are structured as a Boot Camp that is designed to give a foundational understanding of IP. We had talks and workshop-style sessions spanning patents, trade marks and designs which were delivered by attorneys across the firm, in both the London and Cambridge offices. This was a great way to get a sense of work done across R&G, regardless of our practice area and the teams we would later be joining. It also meant we quickly got to know many colleagues in a way that felt personal and was not overwhelming; I really enjoyed having time to get to know the other trainees in my cohort. By the time Boot Camp ended and we started working in our different teams, I already felt well-integrated and settled.
After Boot Camp I was involved in live cases straight away under the guidance of associates and partners. My training so far has combined input to client work and learning exercises – I am often doing both in tandem – which has allowed me to progress both in my knowledge of trade mark law and in how to interact with clients. I have gained insight into many different projects with colleagues across the trade mark team, and it has been exciting to delve into a breadth of industries and sectors, many of which I previously knew little about. There is always someone around to answer my questions, and I feel I have a strong support network within the team which has made entering a new profession far less daunting than it might have been. I look forward to what comes next!“
Jake Knight, Trainee Patent Attorney (EES)
“Starting life at Reddie & Grose has been an incredibly interesting first few months. I’ve come into the patent world having no previous experience in the field, however I feel like I’ve now settled in well to the role.
The training weeks and boot camp have helped to really accelerate me into the daily life of a trainee here, and everyone has been incredibly supportive towards me, not least my cohort. We all bounce questions off each other, go to lunches at the market together, and I’ve made some great friends. Not only do I have a supportive cohort, but I feel like I could ask anyone at the firm a question and get a valuable response – which is a lovely atmosphere to train in.
One of the most challenging aspects to the new role is understanding the transition from academic engineering to industry engineering, and how priorities change for different areas of work. I’ve experienced working with a range of clients now and understanding how they operate has been crucial to succeeding with my work so far.
Overall, I’m really enjoying my time here, and have had such a lovely welcoming from the rest of the company. I’m thoroughly grateful for all the training and support we receive, as it has really positioned me well for future success, and I’ve made some great friends already.” –
Kacper Kozak, Trainee Patent Attorney (EMCP)
“My training at Reddie & Grose started off with a two-week boot camp which consisted of a structured series of talks and activities. The boot camp allowed me to get to grips with the fundamentals of IP law, familiarise myself with the structure of the firm and gave me the chance to meet and get to know the rest of my cohort. On the final day of boot camp, we were given a task to tackle together. This task allowed us to apply what we learned during boot camp, and we presented our solution to the rest of the firm at the end of the day.
After boot camp, training continues through a series of training sessions that occur every Monday. These are extremely useful, as each session introduces you to a key area within patent law, preparing you for your day-to-day work. As well as being beneficial to your learning, these Monday training sessions also give you the chance to catch up with the rest of your cohort, particularly those who work in different offices to you.
Overall, I have really enjoyed my first couple of months at Reddie &Grose. The work is challenging but very interesting and there is always someone available to answer any questions I have. I now look forward to progressing my career at Reddie & Grose.”
Aidan Mooney, Trainee Patent Attorney (EES)
“My introduction into the world of IP has been supported by the challenging but supportive training programme provided by Reddie & Grose. The first two weeks are made up of a series of boot camp sessions, which are designed to build familiarity with the fundamental aspects of Patents, Trademarks, and Designs. It doesn’t take long until you’re face-to-face with realistic tasks and scenarios, which help expose you to the sort of skills which need to be developed.
The boot camp process was made especially enjoyable through the collaboration with other trainees in my cohort. To be able to share our different ideas and understanding of topics has become invaluable in tackling the learning curve presented by intellectual property.
The transition into real-world work was an exciting process, quickly being in contact with new technologies and complex problems. You are encouraged to put forward ideas and solutions right from the start, but to also utilise the support and guidance of everyone at the firm. The training partners take plenty of time to go through each case in detail, making sure you get the most learning out of every experience.“
Thomas Spencer, Trainee Patent Attorney (EMCP)
“The transition to a career in IP has been made very smooth through R&G’s training programme. The work is very different to my previous experience so there is a steep learning curve but all my colleagues at R&G have been extremely helpful and supportive. Over the past couple of months I feel that I’ve gained confidence and I’m able to carry out tasks with more independence.
The first two weeks included boot camp which included a wide range of sessions covering the basic legal aspects of patents, trade marks and designs, as well as professional skills and business awareness. These sessions were delivered by experienced attorneys from across the firm so we had a chance to meet a range of people, beyond those we would be later working with directly. Boot camp finished with a practical task where we could apply our new knowledge and present to the firm, showing what we learned.
Boot camp set us up with the right skills so that we were able to start working on real world tasks immediately afterwards. Our learning is supported by weekly day-long training tasks. In these we attempt to complete a real past case. These cover a wide range of patent legal issues and aspects of professional practice. We then receive feedback on our work from an experienced attorney and discuss the task at hand. Doing these tasks ensures that we are exposed to aspects of the profession that we may not encounter often in our specific roles. I learn best by doing and so I find these sessions very helpful. I’ve noticed that they have had a direct impact on my real work.“
Stephanie Stankard, Trainee Patent Attorney (Life Sciences)
“The welcoming atmosphere and friendliness at R&G have made my first few months here thoroughly enjoyable. We began with the two-week boot camp, which was an intense yet incredibly valuable and entertaining training programme. Boot camp introduced us to the fundamentals of patents, trademarks and designs. The finale (and highlight!) of boot camp was a firm-wide presentation on a problem we had been given that same morning.
After navigating the questions and challenges of the presentation, boot camp came to an end – but the learning certainly hasn’t! Since boot camp we have had weekly Monday training sessions where we spend the day working through a task that concludes with a tutorial session led by an experienced Attorney who provides detailed feedback.
These training sessions have been incredibly beneficial during my day-to-day work. Entering the profession definitely comes with a steep learning curve, but the structured training we receive has made the transition much smoother. I’ve been especially grateful for how approachable everyone has been whenever I’ve had questions.
I have really enjoyed getting to grips with the basics of the profession, and of course bonding with the other trainees in my cohort. I am really looking forward to continuing my training with the firm and deepening my knowledge of all things patents.”
