Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys Explained: The CIPA and CITMA Qualification Routes

Patent attorneys and trade mark attorneys are two of the more specialised, less well-known routes into intellectual property law — professions most people only encounter if they've invented something or built a brand worth protecting. Both are regulated in the UK by IPReg, the Intellectual Property Regulation Board, but they're trained and represented by two different professional bodies: CIPA, the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys, and CITMA, the Chartered Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys.

What patent attorneys and trade mark attorneys actually do

A patent attorney advises inventors and businesses on protecting inventions — drafting patent applications, arguing a case with a patent office examiner, and advising on whether an invention is genuinely novel and non-obvious enough to be patentable in the first place. It's a role that combines legal training with a genuine grounding in science or engineering, since attorneys need to understand the technical detail of what they're protecting. A trade mark attorney does the equivalent work for brands — advising on what can be registered as a trade mark, clearing new brand names against existing registrations, filing and prosecuting applications, and handling opposition and infringement disputes. Neither role requires a law degree to start, unlike the solicitor route via the SQE; both are built around specialist postgraduate qualifications layered onto a relevant first degree.

The CIPA route to becoming a patent attorney

Trainee patent attorneys typically need a science, technology, engineering, or maths degree to begin, since the qualifying exams assume that technical grounding. From there, the standard path combines work-based training at a patent firm or in-house IP team with formal study — commonly a postgraduate certificate or diploma in intellectual property law, followed by the Patent Examination Board's qualifying examinations, known as the Foundation and Advanced level exams. Passing the full set of exams and completing the required period of supervised practice allows a trainee to become a Chartered Patent Attorney and join the Register of Patent Attorneys. Many UK-qualified patent attorneys go on to sit the European Qualifying Examination as well, which allows them to represent clients before the European Patent Office as a European Patent Attorney — a route many UK firms actively support because it widens what a qualified attorney can offer clients.

The CITMA route to becoming a trade mark attorney

The trade mark attorney route doesn't require a science background — a degree in any discipline is normally the starting point, though many entrants come from law, business, or humanities backgrounds. CITMA oversees the qualifying route, which combines structured study with practical experience gained working under supervision at a trade mark firm or in an in-house brand-protection team. Trainees sit a series of modules covering trade mark law, practice, and related intellectual property rights, and once they've passed the full qualification and met the experience requirement, they can become a Chartered Trade Mark Attorney and join the Register of Trade Mark Attorneys.

How IPReg regulates both professions

IPReg is the independent regulator for both patent attorneys and trade mark attorneys in the UK, responsible for setting the qualification requirements, maintaining the two registers, and handling conduct and discipline issues, in a similar way to how the SRA regulates solicitors. CIPA and CITMA remain the professional and representative bodies — providing training routes, ongoing CPD, and a professional community — while IPReg holds the regulatory function separately, a split that mirrors the wider legal sector's move toward separating professional representation from regulation. You can browse Learnsignal's own CPD courses for related professional development options.

Choosing between the two routes

For most people the choice is really made by background rather than preference: a strong STEM degree and an interest in how inventions work points naturally toward the patent attorney route, while an interest in branding, marketing, and commercial law points toward trade marks. Some larger IP firms employ both types of attorney under one roof so clients can get combined protection advice covering an invention and the brand built around it, and it isn't unusual for an attorney to develop working knowledge of the other discipline over a career, even though the formal qualifications remain separate and each has its own register, exams, and regulatory requirements.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a science degree to become a trade mark attorney?
No — that requirement applies to the patent attorney route, where a technical background is needed to understand the inventions being protected. Trade mark attorney training doesn't require a science or engineering degree.

Can a solicitor also be a patent or trade mark attorney?
Yes, though they're separate qualifications with their own exams and registers. Some IP specialists hold both a solicitor qualification and a patent or trade mark attorney qualification, but most patent and trade mark attorneys qualify through the CIPA or CITMA route without ever training as a solicitor.

Is CPD required to stay on the register?
Yes — both Chartered Patent Attorneys and Chartered Trade Mark Attorneys have ongoing CPD obligations set by IPReg and supported by CIPA and CITMA respectively, in line with the pattern across regulated legal professions.