Lawyer to intellectual property consultant
A lawyer already meets 54% of what the intellectual property consultant role asks for. The move turns on 6 required skills not yet in the profile.
44.5/ 100
1 How much of what an intellectual property consultant is expected to do is already part of a 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 7 of its required skills as things a lawyer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- contract law
- ensure law application
- intellectual property law
- legal terminology
- protect client interests
- provide legal advice
What stands in the way is 6 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 16 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 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 16 carried skills, including the 7 the intellectual property consultant role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 14 missing skills fall into 6 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 scientific research methodology required
- still to learn security engineering required
- optional, not held technical terminology optional
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 market research study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 16 skills that carry over
- already held contract law knowledge
- already held ensure law application skill
- 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
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
83 held skills the intellectual property consultant role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role ICT security legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role advise on legal decisions skill
- not needed by the target role advise on legal services skill
- 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 apply conflict management skill
- not needed by the target role apply knowledge of human behaviour skill
- not needed by the target role apply organisational techniques skill
- not needed by the target role apply technical communication skills skill
- not needed by the target role architecture regulations knowledge
- not needed by the target role assess financial viability skill
- not needed by the target role business law knowledge
- not needed by the target role civil law knowledge
- not needed by the target role civil process order knowledge
- 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 comply with legal regulations skill
- not needed by the target role conduct research interview skill
- not needed by the target role constitutional law knowledge
- not needed by the target role consult with business clients skill
- not needed by the target role consumer law knowledge
- not needed by the target role criminal law knowledge
- not needed by the target role criminology knowledge
- not needed by the target role customs law knowledge
- 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 document evidence skill
- not needed by the target role education law knowledge
- not needed by the target role employment law knowledge
- not needed by the target role environmental legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role family law 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 government representation knowledge
- not needed by the target role handle case evidence skill
- not needed by the target role health care legislation knowledge
43 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 lawyer
- court jury coordinator 73% covered · adjacent
- justice of the peace 70% covered · moderate
- mediator 67% covered · moderate
- supreme court judge 64% covered · moderate
- judge 62% covered · moderate
- legal policy officer 57% covered · moderate
- case administrator 55% covered · moderate
- legal assistant 51% covered · moderate
Common questions about this move
Can a lawyer become an intellectual property consultant?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A lawyer already covers 54% of what an intellectual property consultant is expected to do: 16 skills carry over, 7 of which the intellectual property consultant role treats as required.
What skills does a lawyer need to become an intellectual property consultant?
6 required skills are missing, plus 8 optional ones. They fall into 6 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 lawyer to intellectual property consultant?
Its learning distance is 44.5 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.