Ellis Sweetenham

I began my LLB Law degree at Solent in 2013. During this time, due to support of my tutor, I secured a placement at a local intellectual property specialist firm of solicitors, Lawdit solicitors. This really sparked my interest for intellectual property as an area of law. I continued to volunteer at Lawdit on a weekly basis throughout the second and third year of my degree.

After graduating in July 2016, in September 2016, I began studying the LPC LLM at the University of Law in Guildford. I maintained my weekly attendance to Lawdit while studying for the LPC LLM. I completed the LPC LLM in June 2017. Following this, I began my training contract with Lawdit Solicitors in July 2017.

I am a trainee solicitor at Lawdit Solicitors who are a commercial firm based in Southampton who specialise in intellectual property and social media law. I am currently [2017] in the trade marks department and work closely with Lawdit’s sister company The Trademarkroom.

A typical working day involves sending emails to clients explaining the process of registering a trade mark in the UK and beyond. I also talk to clients over the telephone offering an insight into trade marks as an intellectual property right and giving an explanation of the registration process.

Building on from this, I complete pre-filing searches for clients and file trade marks in the UK and EU. I also assist the contentious trade mark team in preparing for opposition proceedings and infringement claims. If you want a career in law, my advice to you is to be prepared to work hard, as that hard work will pay off, even if at the moment you can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. Enjoy your time at university, you will make friends for life, and take every opportunity with both hands as you never know what is around the corner!