Career Overlap Transition record
RecordMove

Intellectual property consultant to corporate lawyer

An intellectual property consultant already meets 32% of what the corporate lawyer role asks for. The move turns on 11 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional
From intellectual property consultant
32 % overlap
Distant match
To corporate lawyer
15 You already bring
11 Still to learn
66 Skills in the target role2
Learning distance Substantial retraining

72.6/ 100

1 How much of what a corporate lawyer is expected to do is already part of an intellectual property consultant’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 corporate lawyer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

A corporate lawyer role treats 10 of its required skills as things an intellectual property consultant already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

  • corporate law
  • court procedures
  • interpret law
  • legal research
  • legal terminology
  • present arguments persuasively

What stands in the way is 11 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 15 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A corporate lawyer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an intellectual property consultant background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • 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 10 the corporate lawyer role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 51 missing skills fall into 5 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.

Skill to pick up Tier
01 communication, collaboration and creativity 5 required, 6 supplementary
  • still to learn consult with business clients required
  • still to learn analyse legal enforceability required
  • still to learn develop professional network required
  • still to learn identify clients' needs required
  • still to learn negotiate lawyer's fee required
  • optional, not held advise on participation in financial markets optional
  • optional, not held manage contract disputes optional
  • optional, not held manage contracts optional
  • optional, not held moderate in negotiations optional
  • optional, not held provide legal advice on investments optional
  • optional, not held represent clients in courts optional
02 business, administration and law 2 required, 28 supplementary
  • still to learn private law required
  • still to learn legal case management required
  • optional, not held European vehicle type-approval legislation optional
  • optional, not held ICT security legislation optional
  • optional, not held air transport law optional
  • optional, not held anti-dumping law optional
  • optional, not held maritime law optional
  • optional, not held road transport legislation optional
  • optional, not held state aid regulations optional
  • optional, not held competition law optional
  • optional, not held employment law optional
  • optional, not held environmental legislation optional
  • optional, not held financial statements optional
  • optional, not held health care legislation optional
  • optional, not held insolvency law optional
  • optional, not held international law optional
  • optional, not held international trade optional
  • optional, not held joint ventures optional
  • optional, not held legislation in agriculture optional
  • optional, not held media law optional
  • optional, not held mergers and acquisitions optional
  • optional, not held pharmaceutical legislation optional
  • optional, not held property law optional
  • optional, not held public auction procedures optional
  • optional, not held railway law optional
  • optional, not held securities optional
  • optional, not held social security law optional
  • optional, not held subsidiary operations optional
  • optional, not held tax legislation optional
  • optional, not held urban planning law optional
03 information skills 2 required, 5 supplementary
  • still to learn analyse legal evidence required
  • still to learn compile legal documents required
  • optional, not held analyse internal factors of companies optional
  • optional, not held assess financial viability optional
  • optional, not held detect financial crime optional
  • optional, not held interpret financial statements optional
  • optional, not held trace financial transactions optional
04 assisting and caring 2 required
  • still to learn observe confidentiality required
  • still to learn respond to enquiries required
05 engineering, manufacturing and construction 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held food legislation optional
Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a corporate lawyer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 15 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held corporate law knowledge
  • already held court procedures knowledge
  • already held interpret law skill
  • already held legal research knowledge
  • already held legal terminology knowledge
  • already held present arguments persuasively skill
  • already held present legal arguments skill
  • 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 contract law knowledge
  • already held copyright legislation knowledge
  • already held intellectual property law knowledge
  • already held negotiate in legal cases skill
40 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to pick up Tier
  • optional, not held European vehicle type-approval legislation optional
  • optional, not held ICT security legislation optional
  • optional, not held air transport law optional
  • optional, not held anti-dumping law optional
  • optional, not held food legislation optional
  • optional, not held maritime law optional
  • optional, not held road transport legislation optional
  • optional, not held state aid regulations optional
  • optional, not held advise on participation in financial markets optional
  • optional, not held analyse internal factors of companies optional
  • optional, not held assess financial viability optional
  • optional, not held competition law optional
  • optional, not held detect financial crime optional
  • optional, not held employment law optional
  • optional, not held environmental legislation optional
  • optional, not held financial statements optional
  • optional, not held health care legislation optional
  • optional, not held insolvency law optional
  • optional, not held international law optional
  • optional, not held international trade optional
  • optional, not held interpret financial statements optional
  • optional, not held joint ventures optional
  • optional, not held legislation in agriculture optional
  • optional, not held manage contract disputes optional
  • optional, not held manage contracts optional
  • optional, not held media law optional
  • optional, not held mergers and acquisitions optional
  • optional, not held moderate in negotiations optional
  • optional, not held pharmaceutical legislation optional
  • optional, not held property law optional
  • optional, not held provide legal advice on investments optional
  • optional, not held public auction procedures optional
  • optional, not held railway law optional
  • optional, not held represent clients in courts optional
  • optional, not held securities optional
  • optional, not held social security law optional
  • optional, not held subsidiary operations optional
  • optional, not held tax legislation optional
  • optional, not held trace financial transactions optional
  • optional, not held urban planning law optional
15 held skills the corporate lawyer role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role advise on licencing procedures skill
  • not needed by the target role advise on patents skill
  • not needed by the target role apply for patents skill
  • not needed by the target role create patent draft skill
  • not needed by the target role develop licensing agreements skill
  • not needed by the target role ensure law application skill
  • not needed by the target role manage intellectual property rights skill
  • not needed by the target role market research knowledge
  • not needed by the target role monitor legislation developments skill
  • not needed by the target role patents knowledge
  • not needed by the target role provide advice on trademarks skill
  • not needed by the target role scientific research methodology knowledge
  • not needed by the target role security engineering knowledge
  • not needed by the target role technical terminology knowledge
  • not needed by the target role trademarks knowledge
31 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to pick up Tier
  • still to learn private law required
  • still to learn legal case management required
  • optional, not held European vehicle type-approval legislation optional
  • optional, not held ICT security legislation optional
  • optional, not held air transport law optional
  • optional, not held anti-dumping law optional
  • optional, not held food legislation optional
  • optional, not held maritime law optional
  • optional, not held road transport legislation optional
  • optional, not held state aid regulations optional
  • optional, not held competition law optional
  • optional, not held employment law optional
  • optional, not held environmental legislation optional
  • optional, not held financial statements optional
  • optional, not held health care legislation optional
  • optional, not held insolvency law optional
  • optional, not held international law optional
  • optional, not held international trade optional
  • optional, not held joint ventures optional
  • optional, not held legislation in agriculture optional
  • optional, not held media law optional
  • optional, not held mergers and acquisitions optional
  • optional, not held pharmaceutical legislation optional
  • optional, not held property law optional
  • optional, not held public auction procedures optional
  • optional, not held railway law optional
  • optional, not held securities optional
  • optional, not held social security law optional
  • optional, not held subsidiary operations optional
  • optional, not held tax legislation optional
  • optional, not held urban planning law optional
Index

Other moves recorded from intellectual property consultant

Full index of moves from intellectual property consultant

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can an intellectual property consultant become a corporate lawyer?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. An intellectual property consultant already covers 32% of what a corporate lawyer is expected to do: 15 skills carry over, 10 of which the corporate lawyer role treats as required.

What skills does an intellectual property consultant need to become a corporate lawyer?

11 required skills are missing, plus 40 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is consult with business clients.

How hard is the move from intellectual property consultant to corporate lawyer?

Its learning distance is 72.6 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

Note

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.