Intellectual Property Salary Survey 2013

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2 Intellectual Property Salary Survey 2013 Our 2 nd annual IP salary survey has just been completed, and the results are now in. We contacted our extensive network of Intellectual Property professionals in order to gain an insight into current average salaries, bonuses and benefits being received within the industry. We also gauged opinion on the future of the profession from Attorneys; some of their predictions are particularly insightful in the current climate. Some key findings from the survey: Attorney roles in Private Practice are currently paying comparatively better basic salaries than law firms and industry roles; Telecoms/software and Mechanical Engineering came out as the best paid technical specialisms; While over 90% of respondents had a quantifiable bonus scheme, only 15% had a share scheme, and just 4% a loyalty/retention bonus; While 75% of respondents were offered a contributory pension scheme, and 52% death-inservice compensation, no other single benefit was offered to more than a third of respondents, showing that soft benefits are relatively uncommon in the IP marketplace; The most important motivators to find a new role were; (i) Location (inextricably linked to rising commuter costs and flexible working opportunities) (ii) Longer-term career opportunities (iii) More varied clients Respondents were asked what they thought the main changes in the industry would be over the next twelve months. Two key issues were highlighted: (i) (ii) there is optimism that a recovering economy will increase confidence in innovation investment, which in turn could increase the number of client instructions to private firms; the shortage of Electronic Engineering biased Attorneys will be an increasing problem for the foreseeable future. On the following pages we have broken down the results further by company type, job title, and industry to provide a broad industry overview.

3 Survey Results The chart below (Fig.1) shows the average salary by job type - split between London and non-london, just as a benchmark. Location of Respondents Non London 59% London 41% Fig.1 Location of salary survey respondents Job Title Average London Salary Average non-london salary Trainee (entry level) 28,450 26,500 Technical Assistant 42,300 38,000 Patent Attorney (Qualified) 62,000 58,750 Trademark Attorney (Qualified) 56,800 47,850 Senior Associate: Patent Attorney 76,245 65,750 Senior Associate: Trademark Attorney 66,450 59,230 Partner (Salaried) 109,600 93,340 Partner (Equity share equivalent) 137,800 N/A IP Counsel 95,000 N/A IP Manager 75,000 67,500 Patent Paralegal 32,500 28,000 Trademark Paralegal 32,500 N/A Fig. 1.2 Average salary levels

4 Salary by employer type Fig.2 illustrates the split of the type of company that respondents currently work for it leans heavily towards private practice as our candidate network extends further here. The line graph shows the split of salaries across all job titles within the different types of company. A higher proportion of respondents were at the CPA/EPA and post-qualified level, as Fig.3 depicts (taking into account that qualified salaries typically start at circa 60,000) Industry/In House 13% Law Firm/Solicito rs 7% Employer type Private Practice 80% Fig 2 Employer type of respondents 40.0% 35.0% 30.0% 25.0% 20.0% 15.0% 10.0% 5.0% 0.0% Private Practice Law Firm/Solicitors Industry/In House Fig. 3 Proportion of salary levels from survey respondents

5 30k or under ,000 35,001-40,000 40,001-45,000 45,001-50,000 50,001-55,000 55,001-60,000 60,001-65,000 65,001-70,000 70,001-80,000 80,001-90,000 90, , , , , ,000 Over 120,001 Area of Specialism This pie chart (Fig 4) shows the principle area of specialism respondents work in. The line graphs below (Fig 5) depict the average salaries of these specialisms. Trade Marks 15% Biotechnology/L ife Sciences 15% Chemical Engineering Chemistry/Phar 3% maceuticals 14% Area of Specialism Electronics/Phy sics 24% Telecoms/Softw Mechanical are Engineering 14% 15% Fig. 4 Areas of IP specialism 50.0% 45.0% 40.0% 35.0% 30.0% 25.0% 20.0% 15.0% 10.0% 5.0% 0.0% Electronics/Physics Telecoms/Software Mechanical Engineering Fig. 5 Average salaries per technical specialism

6 50.0% 45.0% 40.0% 35.0% 30.0% 25.0% 20.0% 15.0% 10.0% 5.0% 0.0% Chemistry/Pharmaceuticals Chemical Engineering Biotechnology/ Life Sciences Trade Marks Fig 6 Average salaries per technical specialism (cont.) *please note that Chemical Engineering had just 2 respondents so results are slightly skewed. Professional Qualifications Respondents Qualifications Another Patent or Trade Mark Registered Trade Mark Attorney (UK) European Patent Attorney Chartered Patent Attorney Fig 7: Respondents Qualification level showing the percentage of respondents that hold (or are part qualified in) each qualification

7 Before After 2013 Before After 2013 Qualification dates Chartered Patent Attorney (UK) European Patent Attorney Fig 8: CPA and EPA level respondents Registered Trade Mark Attorney (UK) Another Patent or Trade Mark Qualification Fig 9: RTMA and other professional qualification respondents

8 Financial package and benefits For this survey we asked what other benefits Attorneys received from their current employer in addition to their salary. Almost all respondents said they received a contributory pension. This survey indicated that the most comprehensive benefits packages are currently available in Law firms, where dental schemes, death in service cover, childcare vouchers and subsidised gym memberships are commonplace. Company cars and final salary pension schemes are still available in industry, but are on the decline. Flexible working has become more prominent in the profession as a whole. Where feasible, working from home and remote access for Attorneys is on the increase and the trend looks to continue. Benefits by company type Childcare Vouchers Working From Home Flexible Working Hours Christmas Bonus Target Driven Bonus Scheme Health Screening Dental Scheme Death in Service Company Car (or equivalent) Gym Membership Life Assurance Final Salary Pension Contributory Pension Industry/In House Law Firm/Solicitors Private Practice Fig. 10 Patent and Trade Mark Attorney benefits, by company type

9 What else contributes to your financial package? Examination Pass Bonus Loyalty/Retention Bonus Share Scheme Bonus Scheme Fig. 11 Additional contributions to overall financial packages Key Motivators to move jobs For this survey we wanted to ascertain what the key motivations were for changing jobs in the profession. Whilst it s acknowledged that circumstances are typically unique when an Attorney moves between jobs, there are some prevailing indicators that motivate people to change their circumstances. From the survey, we noted that 70% of respondents ranked location as very important when deciding on a job move. 50% of respondents said that an increase in salary was quite important when moving to another company or firm. 58% said that progression opportunities were very important when choosing a new company. 65% of respondents said that being offered flexible working was either very important or quite important. 85% of respondent claimed that better clients/cases were a key motivator when moving. For those in private practice, the attraction of more direct client work appeals more than 3 rd party or agency work that has already been drafted. These findings are not wholly exhaustive, but it is interesting to see which common motivators to moving jobs are repeated.

10 Fig 12 Key motivations to looking for a new role in the IP profession

11 To conclude our survey we asked respondents the following question: What do you think the key changes in the profession will be in the next 12 months? We ve included some of the more insightful comments below: Companies are desperate for Electronics Attorneys; this will continue and get worse until enough trainees come through the system. An increasing emphasis on business skills as well as IP expertise. Commoditisation of service by outsourcing and use of IT systems by large players. Chinese language skills becoming more important for attracting new Chinese clients. We'll see is a continuing shortage of experienced electronics and mechanical people, although maybe it will start easing off as the profession catches up with employment and training. It will take longer than a year though... More consolidation leading to more price pressure? Introduction or not of EU patent regime and associated courts will still be a hot topic. Hopefully someone will challenge the poisonous priority decision of this May... Ridiculous I'm not sure what I expect to see, but what I would like to see is firms designing their offering in a way that is much more focussed on what clients actually want, rather than just carrying on churning out what has always been done traditionally. Busy. Patent Box and Unitary Patent are going to help the industry and getmore SME's interested in obtaining patents. Continued convergence of what solicitors' firms do and what TM attorney firms do (i.e. the former employ TM attorneys, the latter do litigation). The distinction has gone and we're all rivals now! Hopefully an increase in trainee roles and an increase in applications for the Queen Mary Trade Mark Law and Practice course. There seems to be a reluctance amongst ip firms to take on trainees due to the high course fees, especially when trainees reach the Nottingham Practitioners course. With the economy appearing to be picking up in the next year or so, candidates may be more willing to move jobs since it will be perceived as being less risky than in the last few years. Even more vacancies as the "55+ generation" retires With competition for trainee positions increasing (in regional offices, at least) I suspect there will be a continuation in the recent increase seen in PhD holders being favoured over undergraduate degree holders. More rigorous interviewing/selection of trainees due to increased cost of training/examination. A slight uplift in UK applications due to the introduction of Patent Box.

12 Contact Details Our 2013 Salary Survey gives an overview of some common trends in the profession, given by those Attorneys that we surveyed. For further comment and reaction, please contact James Dawes at pfj recruitment consultants. Tel: +44 (0) Mob: +44 (0) LinkedIn: uk.linkedin.com/in/jamesdawes