Trainee Trade Mark Attorney

The firm

Bristows is a market leading law firm with a global client base across our core sectors of life sciences and technology.

Despite being smaller in terms of overall size than our competitors, the firm has maintained its position by the exceptional quality of our lawyers and the strength and depth of our scientific and legal expertise as well as our business support staff. We have an all equity partnership that has remained stable over many years.

The Team & Role

The Brands, Designs and Copyright (“BDC”) team currently consists of five Partners; Paul Jordan, Ian Gruselle, Jeremy Blum, Simon Clark and Nellie Jackson.

The team represents clients in all areas of brands, designs and copyright and in particular in representing clients before the courts and before trade mark offices, both in the UK and in the EU, and also elsewhere. To do this, the team consists of solicitors, overseas qualified lawyers, trade mark attorneys and paralegals.

We are looking to recruit a trainee trade mark attorney to the team to support the existing trade mark attorneys and solicitors. Throughout the course of your training you will combine your studies at Queen Mary’s, together with the various exams, with on the job practical learning including exposure to:

• Advising clients on the filing and registration of trade marks.
• Drafting trade mark applications.
• Instructing overseas lawyers on registering and maintaining trade marks.
• Advising on the strategic management of worldwide trade mark portfolios.
• Negotiating and drafting co-existence and settlement agreements.
• Conducting trade mark clearance searches to provide trade mark infringement opinions before first use of a trade mark.
• Assisting with trade mark opposition and cancellation proceedings before the UK, EU and other overseas trade mark offices.

The right candidate:

We are looking for candidates who have a positive ‘can do’ attitude – a good team player with a personable nature – who can show a genuine interest and enthusiasm for trade mark law and procedure.

Qualification as a Trade Mark Attorney is by examination and so the successful candidate will need to show a strong academic record. We would also expect to see evidence of high levels of accuracy and attention to detail.

Our values & culture

With around 300 staff and partners in total and one UK location, we are able to maintain a friendly atmosphere where everyone is able to get to know each other and many policies and practices can operate on a trust basis.

We are based in modern offices at Blackfriars and very much value face to face collaboration and the social element of working relationships. We have introduced a Remote Working Policy which enables staff to work in an agile way – we don’t monitor attendance but simply ask that everyone spends on average across the year more time in the office than out of it. We provide a comprehensive home working set up including lap top, additional monitors, mouse, keyboard, headphone, chair etc as required.

Our firm values, which we very much “live”, are Ambition, Bravery, Curiosity and Friendliness. These underpin all that we do across both our client work and our internal strategic decision making. We are signatories to the Mindful Business Charter and take our commitment to staff welfare and work life balance very seriously – for example, partners will go the extra mile themselves to ensure that Associates are not disturbed while on Annual Leave.

None of our lawyers have billing targets which means we can focus on doing the best for our clients while also having the time and capacity to assist each other in a genuinely collaborative working culture. No one is competing for hours and everyone knows they can enjoy downtime when it arrives.

We have an active, partner-led Diversity & Inclusion group which runs awareness raising and educational initiatives in addition to ensuring that our policies and procedures remain inclusive. Our Charities Committee is equally busy and puts on a range of events from sporting to baking to our Christmas Craft Shop, all in aid of our Charity of the Year.

Our Wellbeing Programme is championed at partner level and is structured around the pillars of Physical, Mental, Financial and Community wellbeing with an annual programme of events, educational activities and support.

Reward & benefits

Our salary and bonus structure reflects our lack of billing targets and collaborative culture and any bonus is paid as a simple percentage bonus across the whole firm. We have a flexible benefits package that is kept under regular review and is designed with the wellbeing of our staff and their families at its heart.

Diversity & inclusion

At Bristows we are committed to championing equality, diversity and inclusion for all, and we are a proud signatory of the Law Society’s Diversity and Inclusion Charter. As a firm, and as individuals, we do all we can to treat people fairly and with mutual respect. This commitment enriches our work and our working lives and has played a key part in our success over the years. It is our policy to provide equal opportunities for all employees and job applicants in relation to recruitment, selection, pay, training, working conditions and promotion opportunities regardless of age, disability, gender, gender affirmation, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy, race, religion or belief and sexual orientation. For more information about EDI policies and practices at the firm, 

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