Nearly/Newly Qualified Patent Attorney

Appleyard Lees IP LLP; Halifax; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a talented individual to join their growing Physics and Engineering practice. This role offers the opportunity to work directly with clients on innovative projects, providing a platform for professional growth and development. You'll engage in a variety of tasks, from drafting patent applications to collaborating with multidisciplinary teams. With a strong emphasis on mentorship and continuous learning, this position is ideal for nearly or newly qualified Patent Attorneys looking to advance their careers in a supportive environment. Join a friendly team where your contributions will make a significant impact.

Benefits

34 hour working week

A blend of office and home working

Annual salary review

25 days annual leave + bank holidays

Life assurance

Healthcare cash plan

Social outings

Birthday voucher

Charity events

Mentorship program

Qualifications

• Degree qualified in Physics or Engineering with 2-5 years of experience.
• Experience in drafting and prosecuting UK, EPO, and PCT applications.

Responsibilities

• Join meetings with inventors and draft applications.
• Involved in due diligence and opposition work.

Skills

Physics degree

Engineering degree

Drafting and filing applications

Client communication

Team collaboration

Logical thinking

Education

Degree in Physics or Engineering

Job description

Department: Patents - Engineering & Physics

Location: Halifax

Description

Our growing Physics and Engineering practice is looking for a talented individual to join our team. We are proud to work for some of the world's most well-known and innovative tech companies, as well as start-ups, SMEs and leading academic organisations. We are looking for an individual who enjoys working with direct clients in cutting-edge research.

The team's workload is continuing to expand. Nearly and newly qualified Patent Attorneys will be considered for this role.

Key Responsibilities

At Appleyard Lees, the work is very varied and rewarding. You will be able to join meetings with inventors, draft applications, be involved in due diligence and opposition work. You will need to be articulate and good at communicating, particularly in writing. Our work can sometimes be multi-disciplinary and collaborative, so you will need to work with attorneys in other disciplines. Therefore, you will need to have good people skills and be able to work in a team.

If you are working to complete the qualification process, you will gain real experience that is directly relevant to the professional exams you will undertake. Our trainees are given all the support they need to qualify as UK and European patent attorneys. We combine in-house exam-specific tutorials with external courses, to help our trainees to obtain the knowledge and skills they need to qualify. Trainees are also supervised on their day-to-day work by our experienced and knowledgeable attorneys.

If you are already qualified, we support you to develop further and take the next steps in your career.

At Appleyard Lees, we support you to develop into the best attorney you can be and to take the next steps in your career. In particular, we aim to provide the right level of support for the transition from trainee to senior attorney. For us, your development training does not stop when you have passed the professional exams. We offer training and continued professional development at all levels of your career and this includes bespoke in-house training and development programmes for qualified attorneys.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

• Degree qualified in Physics or Engineering
• Nearly or newly qualified with at least 2-5 years of experience in the profession
• Management of a broad spectrum of physics and/or engineering work.
• Experience in drafting, filing and prosecuting UK, EPO and PCT applications.
• An understanding of EPO opposition and appeal procedure, and preferably some experience of contentious oral proceedings, although not necessarily in a speaking role.
• Ability to take on large amounts of information and think logically
• Commitment to meeting client expectations
• Good communicator both written and verbally with the ability to communicate at all levels

Benefits

We pride ourselves on being small and friendly enough for you to get to know everyone – but big enough to offer you great career prospects. We will assign you with a mentor who will be able to provide professional and personal support throughout your training contract. Providing people with a mentor is a critical part of enabling development and knowing if individuals are 'on track' in terms of their career path and progression, it also helps with improving knowledge and skills.

Aside from this, we will fund all of your training including memberships, exams, courses and conferences. We also encourage our technical teams to write articles for our Greenshoots platform and take part in podcasts.

Other benefits we offer include:

• 34 hour working week
• A blend of office and home working
• Annual salary review
• 25 days annual leave + bank holidays
• Life assurance
• Healthcare cash plan
• Social outings - summer parties, AL Junior events, Christmas party and more
• A voucher on your birthday
• Charity events - games nights and fuddles
• A friendly and inclusive place to work and learn