Our team is united in the goal of defending and representing the property rights of our clients. At the same time, we draw on and benefit as a community from our individual interests and hobbies.
WORK-LIFE BALANCE FOR THE ENTIRE TEAM
“Work and life are not conflicts in our office but form a healthy balance in our living business culture.” This is how Christoph Geskes envisages the work-life balance for the entire team:
“Here everyone can participate on equal terms, play a part in decisions and take the time required for their private passions – this could be enjoying cycling to work and therefore doing something for body and mind. That’s what I do every day.”
This also means that an excessive number of overtime hours is not expected since “our firm shouldn’t be a tread mill.”
On the contrary, at Geskes we provide a space in which colleagues help and support each other, in which they like to spend time and where help can and should be sought wherever necessary.
“Ultimately the property rights of our clients are the focus and this is where our working environment is very accommodating for you since our profession is also our passion.”
SHORT INTERVIEW
Seyran Hassan Pour, like many patent attorneys, originally comes from another technical discipline and then completed her training to become a patent attorney. In a short interview she revealed to us how she got into this profession, what excites her about it and what one must bring to the table.
During my doctorate and my time as a scientific assistant at the RWTH Aachen, I not only worked on publicly funded research projects but I also had intensive contact with large industrial companies and medium-sized businesses. During this time, I experienced how important it is for industry to have a monopoly position which is afforded either by the confidentiality of your know-how and/or by protections by means of patents.
At Geskes I hoped for and received more contact with internationally acting clients and working on patent litigation processes. In addition, the prospect of trademark dispute cases before the ordinary courts excited me. Primarily however, the open interaction and personal contact in the entire team appealed to me.
The training to become a patent attorney should not be underestimated for several reasons. You come from your own technical area and must fit into another. Firstly, you must learn to understand legal texts and refine your own language. The training to become a patent attorney in the form of remote studying in parallel with everyday work in the office naturally came at the expense of some private free time. Naturally as a fully trained engineer I first had to get used to not being able to work independently and start the learning process from the beginning again.
Along with an interest in grappling with new technical relationships, you should also have perseverance and patience since right at the beginning, progress can only be recognized slowly. An essential trait is the ability to abstract, the capability to break down facts to the core. You should be curious to learn new things and figure out complex relationships and systems.
In our short video clip Dr Seyran Hassan Pour gives you a personal insight into her range of tasks:
SHORT INTERVIEW
Katharina Rehmann has completed the training to become a patent paralegal.
She has been working at Geskes Patent- und Rechtsanwälte for almost ten years and has provided us with a brief insight into her training and the profession of patent paralegal.
I have been working at Geskes Patent- und Rechtsanwälte as a patent paralegal since January 2014. I look after national and international trademarks and patent affairs and conduct domestic and foreign correspondence with clients and offices. In addition, I am responsible for the payment of annual fees for patents and utility models.
The training usually takes three years but can be shortened under certain circumstances. I completed my training to become a patent paralegal in Cologne in two years between 2009 and 2011. I attended the professional school in Düsseldorf at the same time. The attendance times could be different today but online teaching was already available then.
The greatest challenge is the balancing act between school and profession. On the one hand, you are still a student, on the other hand you must learn to take responsibility for your work in the office.
If you are interested in the profession of patent paralegal, you should first find an office that appeals to you. If the application discussion proceeds positively for both sides, as a next step you should spend a trial working day in the selected office to try out the procedures of a patent attorney’s office and see whether the profession appeals to you. This differs from that which you are perhaps familiar with for legal assistants since it involves property rights and managing these. This is exciting but it is best to get your own impression of this.
In our short video clip Katharina Rehmann gives you a personal view into her range of tasks.
Our colleagues are our asset at Geskes. We know how to appreciate this. This is why we provide a positive environment for the team so that as many aspects of our time as possible, from the journey to work up to the stay in the office are as stress-free and pleasant as possible.
We are proud of the fact that at Geskes communication takes place on equal terms and everyone in the team is encouraged to participate and is listened to. A real positive for the entire team.
Our team can divide large parts of their working time very flexibly and freely. Here nobody sits at their desk for 77 hours a week and if somebody wishes to work from their home office, this is an absolutely feasible option.
Our office is also well-connected by car. Thanks to reserved parking spaces, there is no tedious search - also a sign of appreciation.
Our office not only trains or enables further development but everyone from day one has full support from a mentor and the colleagues in the office.
Everyone in the team receives a job ticket for a smooth journey to work by public transport.
WE ARE LOOKING FOR SMART PEOPLE
Would you like to apply for a job with us? We look forward to meeting you.
