Navigating from MTRL to Intellectual Property Law
Currently a lawyer specializing in intellectual property law, with a focus on patent and trademark law at Oyen Wiggs Green & Mutala LLP , Roni Jones graduated from UBC Materials Engineering in 2009. Roni’s fondest memories from his undergraduate years are the time spent with his close-knit group of classmates, studying together, playing foosball in the student lounge, and taking class trips. Despite not being involved in extracurricular materials engineering activities, the bonds he formed with his peers have endured, and they still meet regularly 15 years later.
1. Your career might be considered ‘non-traditional’ for many materials engineers. Can you speak about how you ended up in your current role?
Even before choosing engineering, I was already considering a career in law, but knew I still had to complete at least three years of an undergraduate degree. I specifically chose materials engineering because I was really interested in the subject matter. “I enjoyed my time in the program so much that after graduation I still wasn’t entirely convinced that I was ready to leave it behind for law.” However, when I learned about roles where lawyers could use (and greatly benefit from) an engineering background, this finally swayed my decision, and specifically pushed me towards patent law.
2. What does a typical day look like for you? Does a typical day exist?
One of the things that I like most about my role is that my work varies greatly from day to day. In large part, this is because I work with clients in a wide range of industries and technology types (e.g., everything from semiconductor manufacturing to sporting goods). That means that even if I sometimes do spend a lot of time on the same type of task, each instance of that task is made entirely different by the underlying technology.
3. What opportunities do you see for materials engineering graduates in law? Is there growth in demand for engineers in this area?
“In my experience, it is highly desirable for patent lawyers to have a background in engineering or science in order to better understand clients’ technologies.”
As such, there is a demand for engineering graduates, including materials engineering graduates, in the field of patent law. This demand is heightened since very few engineering graduates attend law school.
4. What do you wish you had known about your career when you were a student?
“I wish that I had known how international this career can be.”
I work with lawyers around the world. These other lawyers help me to help my clients obtain global protection and in turn, I help these lawyers to help their clients obtain protection in Canada. “Getting to work with and know people from all around the world was unexpected for me but is one of the best parts of my job.”
5. What barriers need to be overcome to enter the field?
Entering and completing law school is the first barrier to becoming a patent lawyer, but even after law school, there are further exams that must be passed in order to become a patent agent. That being said, it is possible to become a patent agent without being a lawyer. Non-lawyer patent agents are more limited in what they can do for clients, but this can still be a great career.
6. How do you think your MTRL degree sets you apart from graduates of other programs?
“While obtaining my degree in materials engineering, I learned about a wide variety of subjects applicable in a wide variety of industries. This helped me to understand that I did not want to limit my career to a single industry.”
My career in patent law allows me to work with clients in a large number of industries and to learn about a wide range of technologies.
7. How do you think your MTRL degree sets you apart from graduates of other programs?
When we hire new lawyers, we typically try to look for people with a background relevant to the industries and technologies where we have a lot of work. Materials engineering has broad applications and can be relevant to many industries and technologies. This breadth of knowledge was an asset in obtaining my job and continues to be an asset to this day as I work with clients in so many different industries.
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