Sub Navigation
Promotion
Publications
Learning area
Patent-related events
Professional Representatives
Next events for this programme area
Target audience
The specialised skills and competence of professional representatives before the EPO (European patent attorneys) are a cornerstone of the European patent system. The Professional Representatives unit supports and co-ordinates training for professional representatives, not only as they start out in their chosen career but also in their continuing development, so as to ensure that the highest professional standards are maintained.
One of the target groups in this area is young professionals, as they strive to pass the European Qualifying Examination (EQE), giving them the right to act as a professional representative. Another important group is the experienced professionals who act as tutors or supervisors for the EQE candidates. Established representatives are also supported as they adapt to new procedures and practices, improve their skills and deepen their knowledge.
The Professional Representatives unit works in close partnership with the Institute of Professional Representatives before the European Patent Office (epi), and with national patent offices and attorney associations, as well as centres of excellence in training for patent professionals, such as CEIPI (the Centre d'Etudes Internationales de la Propriété Industrielle in Strasbourg).
Getting the message across
The Professional Representatives unit endeavours to provide more equal access to training opportunities throughout the member states, particularly where the EQE pass rate or the number of qualified attorneys is low. It also provides candidates with training materials, including online exercises, to perfect their exam techniques and give them greater confidence and a better appreciation of what is expected of them when sitting examinations.
Around 200 tutors across Europe provide candidates with specific help to prepare for the EQE. The Professional Representatives unit is expanding this network of tutors and providing them with the support they need. The mentors or supervisors, who oversee young attorneys during their three-year internship prior to the EQE, play the most important role in the preparation of successful EQE candidates. The Professional Representatives unit supports supervisors in IP law firms, providing structured practice and well-formulated feedback. In the future, the unit will ensure that courses are available for supervisors and that a regional network of supervisors is developed in order to raise standards, encourage peer-to-peer support and increase efficiency.
As new member states accede to the European Patent Organisation, national patent attorneys need to retune their skills to European procedures and ways of working, rather than the national approaches with which they have grown up. Courses for this target group need to be very practical in nature, providing opportunities to hone skills, get feedback and gain confidence.
How the Academy makes a difference
The Professional Representatives unit is in a unique position to bring together existing best practices in Europe and serve as a catalyst to make this knowledge available elsewhere. It draws on the expertise within its partner organisations, particularly epi and CEIPI, as well as within the EPO.
The EQE sets standards in the profession. Guaranteeing high-quality training and tutoring for EQE candidates is the only way to attract new candidates to maintain the profession in future.
The unit works with pools of experts in each country who can support local training. This includes new member states, where the Professional Representatives unit promotes regional programmes to provide equal access to training. A series of regional workshops over a two-to-three year period in a number of countries, which the unit helped to develop, provides practical support for patent attorneys and is building a foundation for future training measures using local expertise.
Study visits, meanwhile, allow patent attorneys from new member states to gain an insight into the work of the EPO, by allowing them to watch oral proceedings, meet examiners and learn about EPO working methods and new developments.