Jonathan Wills
Pathway to
success
Mewburn Ellis LLP
When you look at a door, you probably just see a door.
Perhaps an entrance, or a portal if you’re feeling particularly
imaginative. But would you see it as a ‘cover positioned by
an opening in a wall that can be moved to vary the extent
to which it blocks the opening’? Jonathan Wills might.
That’s because Jonathan is a patent attorney and, as such,
it’s his job to capture the defining points of new inventions
in precise detail to help the inventor get a patent.
But the door, of course, isn’t a new invention, and the
inventors who come to Jonathan are generally not
interested in carpentry. Instead, as a chemistry graduate,
Jonathan specialises in working with scientists to get
patents for their discoveries. Whether it’s a new drug to
cure malaria, a new material for more efficient batteries
or a chemical to clean up oil spills, ‘the idea of a patent is
that it lets a researcher protect their new and important
work,’ Jonathan explains. So when someone has a great
new idea or invention, getting a patent makes sure that
other people can’t steal it or copy it. Or at least if they do,
they’ll be in trouble.
why it’s clever. A lot of my day to day work is fighting with
the Patent Office to get patents approved.’
So Jonathan really has to know what he’s talking about,
which means he relies heavily on his chemistry knowledge.
‘I can’t do this job without being a chemist,’ he says.
‘Everything I’ve learned I’m using day to day. Scientists
need someone who can understand the complex research
they’re doing to explain it in the patent application.’
From lab to law
After studying for his chemistry degree and a PhD, Jonathan
admits that he decided he didn’t want to keep working in
the lab, but he still loved chemistry and didn’t want to leave
it all behind. Becoming a patent attorney was the perfect
opportunity to apply his scientific knowledge outside of the
laboratory, while still keeping up to date with science.
Jonathan also explains that although his chemistry degree
is essential, it’s just as important for patent attorneys to
have excellent communication skills and a cool head.
‘During the application process we ask applicants to
Argumentative
Sounds simple enough, but to write those patents Jonathan describe a simple invention to get an idea of how well
they can convey an idea. It’s all about asking them difficult
needs to have a detailed understanding of the work that’s
questions to see if they can still work under pressure.’ And
been done so he can figure out exactly what makes the
for those that have what it takes – there’s still a lot to learn.
invention special. And then he must describe, in careful
‘As a trainee patent attorney, you know all this stuff about
detail, how it works, or how it’s made and why it’s new,
science but absolutely nothing about law,’ says Jonathan.
brilliant, innovative or better compared to anything else.
‘So the first four years are all about learning law.’
But that’s just the beginning, because although Jonathan
writes the patent, it’s up to the Patent Office to decide if it
gets approved or not. And that’s when the arguments start.
‘[This job] is for people who like to have good arguments,’
says Jonathan. ‘It’s about trying to get your client a patent.
So you have to argue with the Patent Office about the
merits of the work. You have to explain why it’s different,
And even now, as a fully qualified patent attorney and a
partner at Mewburn Ellis LLP, the intellectual stimulation
Jonathan get from learning new things is still one of the
best parts of his job. ‘Next year I’m going out to Japan to
meet my clients there, so I’m just about to start Japanese
lessons in the next few weeks.’
Jennifer Wills
Jonathan is a patent attorney in
Cambridge. Philip Robinson finds
out how he helps chemists to protect
their work
2008–present
Chartered and European
patent attorney, Mewburn
Ellis LLP
2004–2008
Trainee patent attorney,
Mewburn Ellis LLP
2000–2004
PhD in chemistry at the
University of Cambridge
1995–2000
MChem at the University of
Edinburgh
1993–1995
Scottish Highers in
chemistry, biology, physics,
mathematics, German and
English
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September 2012 | The Mole | 11