Anuradha Salhotra, managing partner, Lall Lahiri & Salhotra discusses the career prospects in the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) sector.

Indiais on its way towards becoming a major global economic power and Intellectual Property(IP) owners around the world are flocking to its promising commercial opportunities. Therefore, the IP industry in India is flourishing and expanding with time. With the advent of technology, the awareness of protecting the IP rights has grown many folds. IP owners have become more proactive in securing and protecting their IP rights in India. The consciousness amongst individuals and companies has increased and many are opting for trademark, trade secret, copyright and patent protection in India to obtain maximum leverage out of their IP. The number of trademark and patent applications received by the respective IP offices has grown manifolds over the years and the industry is booming. Enforcement of IP is yet another area, which has seen unprecedented growth. The number of IP related litigation cases has increased, thus indicating the will by businesses to protect IP on priority basis.

The recent growth in the industry has created a dynamic marketplace. The pace at which the legal/IP industry is growing, it demands a higher number of qualified and skilled legal professionals. An increasing number of students in field of law are keen on pursuing a career, especially in IPR. Technically qualified professionals for patent drafting and prosecution and litigation specialists in various IP areas are in-demand. Law firms, legal process outsourcing organisations and legal divisions of companies are hiring IPR professionals for various roles.

Career opportunities are numerous. Right from private practice with a senior lawyer to working in law firms, a candidate can chose the area of his/her work interest from a variety of profiles. IP litigation is the most sought-after area for ambitious lawyers. Companies are also hiring in-house IP counsels to take care of IP-related requirements within the company and liaison with associate firms. Companies, which have a legal outsourcing model, have a wide variety of opportunities and are not only limited to contracts review and drafting, patents drafting, legal research, due diligence, prosecution and litigation support. The choices are numerous and require multi-faceted skills. 

Due to globalisation, cross-border transactions and international litigation having become fairly common, there is always a need for skilled legal professionals. Amongst the various set of qualities, a person should posses in order to be in the IPR field are: good oral communication skills, written communication skills in order to draft effective legal documents, an analytical and logical bent of mind, out-of-the-box thinking, sound law and legal procedure know-how, legal research competencies and time management skills.

Priya C Nair