RecordMove

Patent engineer to legal consultant

A patent engineer already meets 20% of what the legal consultant role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional

From patent engineer

Distant match

To legal consultant

6 You already bring

8 Still to learn

37 Skills in the target role2

Learning distance Substantial retraining

73.1/ 100

adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change

1 How much of what a legal consultant is expected to do is already part of a patent engineer’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 legal consultant role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

A legal consultant role treats 3 of its required skills as things a patent engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

ensure law application
legal terminology
provide legal advice

What stands in the way is 8 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 6 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A legal consultant role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a patent engineer background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held present legal arguments communication, collaboration and creativity
already held provide legal advice communication, collaboration and creativity
already held legal terminology business, administration and law
already held ensure law application assisting and caring
already held legal research business, administration and law
already held apply technical communication skills communication, collaboration and creativity

All 6 carried skills, including the 3 the legal consultant role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 31 missing skills fall into 4 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 6 required, 5 supplementary

still to learn advise on legal decisions required
still to learn analyse legal enforceability required
still to learn identify clients' needs required
still to learn interpret law required
still to learn protect client interests required
still to learn use consulting techniques required

optional, not held consult with business clients optional
optional, not held manage contract disputes optional
optional, not held manage contracts optional
optional, not held moderate in negotiations optional
optional, not held negotiate in legal cases optional

02 business, administration and law 1 required, 13 supplementary

still to learn private law required

optional, not held European Structural and Investment Funds regulations optional
optional, not held maritime law optional
optional, not held state aid regulations optional
optional, not held business law optional
optional, not held civil law optional
optional, not held contract law optional
optional, not held corporate law optional
optional, not held court procedures optional
optional, not held law of non-marital cohabitation optional
optional, not held legal case management optional
optional, not held mergers and acquisitions optional
optional, not held procurement legislation optional
optional, not held real estate market optional

03 information skills 1 required, 2 supplementary

still to learn compile legal documents required

optional, not held analyse internal factors of companies optional
optional, not held analyse legal evidence optional

04 assisting and caring 3 supplementary

optional, not held observe confidentiality optional
optional, not held protect personal data and privacy optional
optional, not held respond to enquiries optional

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a legal consultant 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 6 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held ensure law application skill
already held legal terminology knowledge
already held provide legal advice skill
already held apply technical communication skills skill
already held legal research knowledge
already held present legal arguments skill

23 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to pick up Tier

optional, not held European Structural and Investment Funds regulations optional
optional, not held consult with business clients optional
optional, not held maritime law optional
optional, not held state aid regulations optional
optional, not held analyse internal factors of companies optional
optional, not held analyse legal evidence optional
optional, not held business law optional
optional, not held civil law optional
optional, not held contract law optional
optional, not held corporate law optional
optional, not held court procedures optional
optional, not held law of non-marital cohabitation optional
optional, not held legal case management optional
optional, not held manage contract disputes optional
optional, not held manage contracts optional
optional, not held mergers and acquisitions optional
optional, not held moderate in negotiations optional
optional, not held negotiate in legal cases optional
optional, not held observe confidentiality optional
optional, not held procurement legislation optional
optional, not held protect personal data and privacy optional
optional, not held real estate market optional
optional, not held respond to enquiries optional

28 held skills the legal consultant role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role adjust engineering designs skill
not needed by the target role advise on patents skill
not needed by the target role analyse financial risk skill
not needed by the target role apply for patents skill
not needed by the target role characteristics of products knowledge
not needed by the target role civil engineering knowledge
not needed by the target role collaborate with engineers skill
not needed by the target role communication knowledge
not needed by the target role company policies knowledge
not needed by the target role coordinate engineering teams skill
not needed by the target role create patent draft skill
not needed by the target role design principles knowledge
not needed by the target role engineering principles knowledge
not needed by the target role engineering processes knowledge
not needed by the target role financial analysis knowledge
not needed by the target role intellectual property law knowledge
not needed by the target role market analysis knowledge
not needed by the target role market research knowledge
not needed by the target role mechanical engineering knowledge
not needed by the target role patents knowledge
not needed by the target role present arguments persuasively skill
not needed by the target role project management knowledge
not needed by the target role project management principles knowledge
not needed by the target role provide advice on trademarks skill
not needed by the target role provide technical expertise skill
not needed by the target role represent the company skill
not needed by the target role scientific literature knowledge
not needed by the target role trademarks knowledge

14 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
optional, not held European Structural and Investment Funds regulations optional
optional, not held maritime law optional
optional, not held state aid regulations optional
optional, not held business law optional
optional, not held civil law optional
optional, not held contract law optional
optional, not held corporate law optional
optional, not held court procedures optional
optional, not held law of non-marital cohabitation optional
optional, not held legal case management optional
optional, not held mergers and acquisitions optional
optional, not held procurement legislation optional
optional, not held real estate market optional

Index

Other moves recorded from patent engineer

Full index of moves from patent engineer

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a patent engineer become a legal consultant?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. A patent engineer already covers 20% of what a legal consultant is expected to do: 6 skills carry over, 3 of which the legal consultant role treats as required.

What skills does a patent engineer need to become a legal consultant?

8 required skills are missing, plus 23 optional ones. They fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is private law.

How hard is the move from patent engineer to legal consultant?

Its learning distance is 73.1 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.