"Instead of just reading law texts at this congress we can use what we've learned and try to convince the jury party in mock court trials and simulated situations," enthuses the 27-year old postgraduate student, Simone Locher, on the second day of the EIPIN Congress (see box below). Training one's social competencies in contact with team colleagues from every corner of Europe was a decisive factor in the career of the future patent attorney. In addition, she said, she benefited from the exchanges of experience with foreign colleagues and was able to expand her network of professional contacts.

During her biology studies at ETH Zurich Locher specialised in cell biology. But she soon came to realise that, "The laboratory is not the place where I could be happy working." So she worked for a couple of years in the medication registration unit at Novartis before returning to ETH this year to study for a postgraduate course in "Intellectual Property" (see box on the left) and began training as a patent lawyer. The course, which takes only a year to complete, should not be underestimated.

Seriousness from professional experience

"The postgraduate course is far more intensive than my initial course of studies at ETH because of the huge quantity of learning material and the time required for preparation," groans Locher. She often sat at her books until midnight, she said, only to leave early next morning to throw herself into lectures and exercises. It was exhausting, but: "Good preparation is not something you can compromise on if you want to make the most of this course." Perhaps the seriousness with which she and her colleagues approach the postgraduate course, when compared to their level of application the first time round, can be put down to age or maturity and work experience.

Advanced Diploma Student, Simone Locher, at the registration desk for the EIPIN Congress. large

Locher sees her future as a patent attorney working in a specialised lawyer's office. Or, perhaps, working for a government body, such as the European Patent Agency, EPA. "I could also imagine going back into industry, for example in the patent department of Novartis", says Locher. But the decision doesn't have to taken yet awhile. After the postgraduate course she will first have to get three years practice under her belt before she can take the European Patent Lawyers' Examination, which is widely seen as extremely demanding.

At a European level

The fact that, for the main part, English is the language of the courses of study, is not a problem for Locher. Ten years ago, she spent an exchange year at an institution in the "middle of nowhere" in Indiana in the USA. The English she learned then has stood her in good stead ever since and facilitates communication today with her team colleagues. Locher is fully aware of the fact that at as patent lawyer, her professional activities would take place on a European level, because, "The days are past when a patent could be registered for Switzerland, exclusively."

Apart from the challenging work on which small teams co-operate, Locher appreciates the spectacular show trials (3), which took place on Saturday morning at this year's EIPIN Congress on "Patents and Patent Litigation". The main focus, this year was patents for biotechnology(4). "As I want to specialise on patents for biotechnology, chemistry and pharmaceuticals, it's especially interesting for me to find out more about the patent system in these innovative areas." Around half of her 16 NDSIP colleagues came from the same educational background. The lecture on the controversial patent Harvard took out fir its Oncomaus shows that patent rights still have to establish themselves in this new area. The same applies to Switzerland (see box).