Corporate lawyer to intellectual property consultant
A corporate lawyer already meets 48% of what the intellectual property consultant role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.
49/ 100
1 How much of what an intellectual property consultant is expected to do is already part of a corporate lawyer’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the intellectual property consultant role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An intellectual property consultant role treats 6 of its required skills as things a corporate lawyer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- contract law
- intellectual property law
- legal terminology
- protect client interests
- provide legal advice
- use consulting techniques
What stands in the way is 7 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 15 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An intellectual property consultant role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a corporate lawyer background worth leading with.
- already held negotiate in legal cases communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held present legal arguments communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held interpret law communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held present arguments persuasively communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held provide legal advice communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held legal terminology business, administration and law
All 15 carried skills, including the 6 the intellectual property consultant role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 15 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn manage intellectual property rights required
- still to learn advise on patents required
- optional, not held advise on licencing procedures optional
- optional, not held create patent draft optional
- optional, not held develop licensing agreements optional
- optional, not held provide advice on trademarks optional
- still to learn market research required
- optional, not held patents optional
- optional, not held trademarks optional
- still to learn monitor legislation developments required
- optional, not held apply for patents optional
- still to learn ensure law application required
- still to learn scientific research methodology required
- still to learn security engineering required
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an intellectual property consultant role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 manage intellectual property rights practise this
- 02 advise on patents practise this
- 03 ensure law application practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 15 skills that carry over
- already held contract law knowledge
- already held intellectual property law knowledge
- already held legal terminology knowledge
- already held protect client interests skill
- already held provide legal advice skill
- already held use consulting techniques skill
- already held commercial law knowledge
- already held copyright legislation knowledge
- already held corporate law knowledge
- already held court procedures knowledge
- already held interpret law skill
- already held legal research knowledge
- already held negotiate in legal cases skill
- already held present arguments persuasively skill
- already held present legal arguments skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held technical terminology optional
8 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held advise on licencing procedures optional
- optional, not held apply for patents optional
- optional, not held create patent draft optional
- optional, not held develop licensing agreements optional
- optional, not held patents optional
- optional, not held provide advice on trademarks optional
- optional, not held technical terminology optional
- optional, not held trademarks optional
51 held skills the intellectual property consultant role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role European vehicle type-approval legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role ICT security legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role advise on participation in financial markets skill
- not needed by the target role air transport law knowledge
- not needed by the target role analyse internal factors of companies skill
- not needed by the target role analyse legal enforceability skill
- not needed by the target role analyse legal evidence skill
- not needed by the target role anti-dumping law knowledge
- not needed by the target role assess financial viability skill
- not needed by the target role competition law knowledge
- not needed by the target role compile legal documents skill
- not needed by the target role consult with business clients skill
- not needed by the target role detect financial crime skill
- not needed by the target role develop professional network skill
- not needed by the target role employment law knowledge
- not needed by the target role environmental legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role financial statements knowledge
- not needed by the target role food legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role health care legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role identify clients' needs skill
- not needed by the target role insolvency law knowledge
- not needed by the target role international law knowledge
- not needed by the target role international trade knowledge
- not needed by the target role interpret financial statements skill
- not needed by the target role joint ventures knowledge
- not needed by the target role legal case management knowledge
- not needed by the target role legislation in agriculture knowledge
- not needed by the target role manage contract disputes skill
- not needed by the target role manage contracts skill
- not needed by the target role maritime law knowledge
- not needed by the target role media law knowledge
- not needed by the target role mergers and acquisitions knowledge
- not needed by the target role moderate in negotiations skill
- not needed by the target role negotiate lawyer's fee skill
- not needed by the target role observe confidentiality skill
- not needed by the target role pharmaceutical legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role private law knowledge
- not needed by the target role property law knowledge
- not needed by the target role provide legal advice on investments skill
- not needed by the target role public auction procedures knowledge
11 further entries not listed here
6 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn market research required
- still to learn scientific research methodology required
- still to learn security engineering required
- optional, not held patents optional
- optional, not held technical terminology optional
- optional, not held trademarks optional
Other moves recorded from corporate lawyer
Common questions about this move
Can a corporate lawyer become an intellectual property consultant?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A corporate lawyer already covers 48% of what an intellectual property consultant is expected to do: 15 skills carry over, 6 of which the intellectual property consultant role treats as required.
What skills does a corporate lawyer need to become an intellectual property consultant?
7 required skills are missing, plus 8 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is manage intellectual property rights.
How hard is the move from corporate lawyer to intellectual property consultant?
Its learning distance is 49 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.