Welcome to the latest instalment of Managing IP’s ‘Five minutes with’ series, where we learn more about intellectual property practitioners, or those working in the IP profession, on a personal and professional level. This time, we meet Senem Kayahan, a Turkish and European patent attorney at PatentSe in Turkey.
Someone asks you at a party what you do for a living. What do you say?
It is always difficult to explain the job of a patent attorney to someone who has no knowledge of patents.
I would say: “I’m a patent attorney. Say you invent a device – you don’t want everyone copying it. I write and file the patent in Türkiye or Europe, and I defend it if someone challenges it. In short: I turn good ideas into protected assets that make money and keep competitors at bay.”
Talk us through a typical working day.
I start by checking the deadlines for time-sensitive tasks. Due dates are very important for patents. then jump into drafting or amendment strategy while my mind is freshest.
Late morning is client calls – universities, start-ups, and industrial groups – followed by internal reviews with our team at PatentSe. Afternoons are often reserved for longer strategy pieces or training materials.
What are you working on at the moment?
I am working on an opposition before the EPO on behalf of a pharmaceutical company. In parallel, I’m preparing outreach and training modules for Turkish SMEs and universities to help them “productise” R&D with smart IP.
Does one big piece of work usually take priority, or are you juggling multiple things?
I’m always juggling, so I prioritise hard. Big filings or oppositions get my best focus time; prosecution tasks and client calls are kept in tight blocks. I keep a living “claim tree” for each case, so I can switch gears quickly and nothing important falls through the cracks.
What is the most exciting aspect of your role, and what is the most stressful?
Exciting: shaping claim strategy so an invention survives both the search report and competitors’ design-arounds - it's equal parts law, science, and chess.
Stressful: calendar compression around major deadlines, especially when late-breaking data must be woven into an already tight claim framework. A solid issues list and escalation plan keep the stress productive.
Tell us the key characteristics that make a successful IP lawyer/practitioner.
Bilingual thinking: fluency in both the inventor’s lab language and the examiner’s legal language.
Evidence discipline: knowing what data will actually move the inventive-step needle at the EPO or Turkpatent.
Empathy and honesty: clients deserve clear go/no-go guidance, not hedged optimism.
Curiosity: today, antibodies and AI chips; tomorrow, something we haven’t named yet.
What is the most common misconception about IP?
“That filing equals protection.” Filing equals a timestamp. Real protection comes from well-crafted claims, a prosecution strategy aligned with business goals, and ongoing portfolio hygiene – especially in fast-moving fields like biotech and telecom.
Real protection also comes from working with the right patent attorney. The right patent attorney turns your idea into strong, defensible claims with smart fallbacks, not just a filed document.
What or who inspires you?
Engineers and scientists who stay generous with their knowledge. On the legal side, I’m inspired by practitioners who pair technical depth with courtroom experience, and by mentors who open doors for the next generation.
If you weren’t in IP, what would you be doing?
Probably building a translational bridge role in a university tech-transfer office – helping labs shape data packages and claimable stories that investors can underwrite.
Any advice you would give your younger self?
Develop yourself at university to get acquainted with IP earlier.
What is your motto in life?
Whatever you do, be the best.
