PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

We are looking for an IP lawyer with strong IP knowledge and wide transactions experience. You will take responsibility as a lead advisor on a range of primarily non-contentious IP projects and transactions, in addition to working as part of our nationally ranked and growing Tier 2 IP team.

We are a highly collaborative, supportive, and collegiate IP team, with exciting growth plans. We enjoy a rich variety of contentious and non-contentious and advisory IP work and have an excellent development and promotion framework. 

We're growing to meet increasing demand for complex IP advice, and this role supports that strategic ambition.

THE TEAM

Our highly renowned and directory-ranked IP team sits within the Commercial function within the UK covering both contentious and non-contentious IP work. The role would be to advise the firm and our clients on a wide range of (mostly non-contentious) IP advice as part of national and cross border transactions. 

The team acts for a broad spectrum of clients across industry sectors such as retail and consumer, financial services, defence, pharmaceuticals and engineering, regularly advising FTSE 100-250 companies, and SMEs on the full range of IP rights through the IP lifecycle, including risk assessments, R&D agreements, brand management and the implementation of national and international IP strategies for protection and commercialisation of IP through licensing and franchise arrangements.

THE ROLE

Within this role you will have the opportunity to work take the lead role on advising and delivering IP transactions and support on a broad range of M&A deals with a particular emphasis on agreements relating to the exploitation of IP rights including IP asset purchase agreements, patent, trademark and software licensing, research and development arrangements, R&D development agreements; technology transfer agreements confidentiality agreements and franchise agreements. There is the opportunity to work with the IP disputes partners in relation to IP infringement actions and enforcement.

You will manage your own workload and have good project management skills as well as supporting on other matters, handling a spread of commercial work as and when needed by clients. Your focus will be to build relationships with clients and to handle their commercial needs.

WHAT TO EXPECT IN THIS ROLE

• Lead and support on a broad range of IP-heavy transactions and advisory projects.
• Handle a diverse workload of both IP transactions, advisory and some disputes-related work, acting either as lead adviser or part of a wider team.
• Develop and manage long-term relationships with clients, becoming a trusted adviser across their commercial legal needs.
• Provide mentorship and supervision to junior lawyers and contribute to internal knowledge sharing and team growth.
• Support the team in business development and thought leadership, identifying opportunities to deepen client engagement.
• Advise across a broad range of intellectual property matters, with sector experience in at least one of: retail & consumer, financial services, advanced manufacturing, or life sciences.

YOUR AREAS OF KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTISE 

• Qualified lawyer with significant post-qualification experience (4+PQE) in intellectual property law.
• Confident leading transactions and managing client relationships (including internal relationships e.g. with Corporate).
• Consultative and strategic in approach – able to translate legal advice into commercial value.
• Able to manage multiple workstreams and deliver to time-critical schedules.

The following is desirable, but not essential:

• Successful completion of external training such as the Oxford University Post Graduate Diploma of IP Law & Practice
• Sector experience in retail & consumer, industrial and advanced manufacturing and/or life sciences
• Familiarity with registered IP (Trade Mark, Design or Patent) prosecution, portfolio review and strategy
• Experience working on corporate transactions (M&A, security deals; asset sales and technology transfers).
• Experience working on defence-related deals with appropriate security clearance.

OUR FIRM

Addleshaw Goddard is a place where you are valued, encouraged, and challenged to fulfil your potential in a supportive and collegiate environment. Our culture of improvement, growth and collaboration delivers results, drives innovation, and rewards ambition. 

We not only provide technical excellence and experience but, crucially, demonstrate real insight into our clients and what really matters to them and as such we are natural choice for FTSE100 clients and their equivalents in other markets.

Our success has been built by people from the widest range of backgrounds, locations, and perspectives. We have a number of employee networks that provide space to discuss the differences that make us who we are and celebrate this at AG.