Trade mark attorneys may have an arts degree or a general legal background before specialising as a trade mark advisor. They liaise with marketing personnel to help clients choose new brand names and then apply to register them. Increasingly their practice may involve domain name (website addresses) dispute issues. Trade marks can also overlap with design and copyright matters. They also deal with conflicts and infringements of their clients’ trade mark rights. Many trade mark attorneys also practise in the field of industrial designs.
It is a criminal offence for anyone to use the term “Registered Trade Mark Attorney” or “Registered Trade Mark Agent” unless he/she is on the trade mark attorney register (Trade Marks Act 1994, s.84). But the terms “trade mark attorney” and “trade mark agent” are not protected by law and anyone may use them. You can check whether an attorney is regulated by searching for them on the online register.