Associate or Senior Associate - Intellectual Property

This role can be based in any of our Leeds, Cambridge, Birmingham, Oxford or Manchester offices. 

What does the role involve?

We are looking for an intellectual property specialist to join our growing national team. The role is a “pure” IP role (rather than a commercial transactional role with some IP elements).

You will work on a broad range of contentious IP matters (from straight-forward cease and desist demands to complex patent litigation), a broad range of transactional IP matters (from pure IP licensing and assignment agreements to advising on the IP-specific issues arising in the context of corporate transactions), and on devising and executing IP strategies outside the context of specific disputes and transactions. You will also have an opportunity to support our registered trade mark and registered design application, prosecution and portfolio management practice.

You will recognise the value in developing and maintaining a diverse skill-set in intellectual property matters, and be willing to learn about and operate in areas of IP law which may be unfamiliar to you.

Your client base will range from tech start-ups to globally recognised brand-owners and everything in between, across multiple industry sectors.

You will be a key part of a team effort to further growth the firm’s IP practice, and will contribute to the planning and execution of an evolving strategy to do so.

Who would I be working with?

You will work closely with experienced IP specialists  Mark Pearce (based in Leeds and Oxford),  Alex Newman (based in Leeds),  Claire O’Brien (based in Birmingham), and  Alasdair Poore,  Richard Plaistowe and  Nicola Hanglin (all based in Cambridge), and the other members of our national core IP team, which operates across our CoCo (Corporate and Commercial) and RPCD (Regulatory, Public and Commercial Disputes) national service lines.

What experience is required?

You will ideally have 3 - 6 years of experience practising intellectual property law (not necessarily post-qualification experience), and be familiar with the statute law governing all core forms of intellectual property right. You will have substantial experience advising in relation to contentious IP matters (including, ideally, some trial experience) and some experience in transactional matters (ideally, but not necessarily, IP-specific). You will have experience as the day to day lead lawyer on a variety of matters, and of day to day client relationship management.

What skills and attributes would I need?

You will enjoy the intellectual challenge of intellectual property law. You will possess the analytical skills and attention to detail necessary to identify fine distinctions and their potential materiality, and the written and oral articulacy to express yourself clearly, persuasively, and accurately. You will be methodical, strategic and structured in your approach.

You will have the ambition, imagination and application to take control of your career and its progression, and to develop your IP practice in a way which suits your skill-sets, and delivers the type of work you want to do for the type of client you want to do it for.

You will be pro-active. You will be creative. You will be curious. You will be empathetic. You will be willing to challenge yourself and be challenged.

Why should I apply?

Mills & Reeve is a major UK law firm renowned for its outstanding service to national and international clients, for its collaborative culture and for its deep sector expertise. At Mills & Reeve you will be encouraged and given the opportunity to develop your career in the way you want to develop it.

Quite simply, Mills & Reeve is a great place to work and this is an ideal opportunity to build your skills and experience with a major UK law firm with a market leading reputation. We are proud to be listed as one of the Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For consecutively for 19 years - the only law firm to achieve this.

Pre-employment screening

Please note that, if we make an offer of employment, we will conduct pre-employment screening that includes checks relating to your professional and academic qualifications, references from previous employers, your eligibility to work in the UK and any disciplinary history recorded with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). You will also be required to complete a self-declaration to assess your character and suitability.

Disclosure and barring service check and security clearance

This post is also subject to a satisfactory response from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) (to check for any previous criminal convictions) and, given the nature of the work-type, you may also be required to undergo national security vetting to SC level – the latter can be undertaken following commencement of employment.

And finally

Mills & Reeve is committed to building a diverse workforce and fostering an inclusive environment in which all our people can thrive. We hire people from a wide variety of backgrounds because it makes our firm stronger, and we have a collaborative culture that celebrates different perspectives and values respect for one another, working together, and openness and integrity. Our approach to flexible working means that we work in a way that achieves the right balance for our people, our clients and for our business.

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