The Department

Protecting and commercially exploiting intellectual property (IP) should be at the heart of most companies'business strategy. IP is an often under-represented asset, and one which can have a direct impact on the bottom line. We are one of the largest IP teams in London and we help the owners of some of the world's best-known rights create, protect and exploit their IP.

Our team provides our clients with a complete range of IP-related services: freedom to operate advice and analysis; patent challenge and enforcement litigation; trademark and design portfolio management; franchising and licensing, the experience and know-how to take on the role of strategic advisor in pursuit of key business objectives; and handling IP infringements swiftly and tenaciously. Consequently, we have a broad range of high-profile clients including Sky, Entain (the owner of Ladbrokes and Coral amongst many other gaming brands), Nintendo, Iceland Foods, Dr Reddy's, Hewlett Packard and Alexander McQueen.

We are regularly instructed in high-stakes and complex litigation and enforcement work, including groundbreaking cases before the UK and EU Courts. Example cases in recent years include: Sky v. SkyKick (CJEU and Court of Appeal), Lupin v. Gilead (CJEU and Court of Appeal), Nintendo v. Sky (first ever blocking injunction based upon technological protection measures), Iceland v. Iceland (EUIPO Grand Board of Appeal), Dr Reddy's v. Warner Lambert (largest ever damages claim in the Patents Court under a cross undertaking), Jack Wills v. House of Fraser, and Rihanna v Topshop.

The Team

Our patent attorney team sits within Mishcon's wider IP team, which also comprises our brand protection and IP enforcement/disputes teams. The IP team forms part of a larger team of commercial and technology lawyers who are deployed across our London, Cambridge and Oxford offices.

The patent attorney team is currently made up of a Managing Associate with a background primarily in physics, hi-tech subject-matter, and mechanical engineering, and an Associate with a background in mechanical and chemical engineering. The team is supported by our patents manager, with experience across all administrative and support functions, and is overseen by, primarily, two of the IP litigators within the department.

Our patent attorney practice covers much of the work you might expect. For example, our team carries out a significant proportion of original patent drafting work (given the high proportion of direct client work it handles). Our team also prosecutes patents through to grant, both domestically/in Europe and more globally with assistance from local attorneys. They also act in/ advise on a high proportion of EPO oppositions/opposition appeals. Their practice also encompasses IP advice and strategy work, as well as a body of design work.

Somewhat uniquely however, and as a function of sitting within our wider IP team, there is a significant amount of collaboration on patent litigation matters. Our team also meshes more widely with the technology and commercial lawyers in the team, particularly those working with technology transactions and emerging companies, assisting with patent aspects of those areas of work.

The Opportunity

Our patent attorney team, whilst still small and young, is a busy team and there is a strong desire for growth. With that in mind, and the current make-up of the team, we believe the ideal next person to join the team will be someone with biotech/ life sciences expertise to complement the areas of technology already covered by the team.

The opportunity is one with significant developmental and growth prospects. Whilst our current attorneys have a busy practice, this is primarily in the areas of their expertise and there is a desire (both within the direct team and more widely across the department/firm) to bolster our patent capabilities within the biotech/life science space given already existing client requests and in view of the many further, 'untapped' opportunities within the firm for an attorney in this space.

The aim for the incoming candidate would therefore be to lead on the further establishment and growth of the relatively nascent biotech/life science function of the patent attorney team. This would not be without support from the existing members of the team and more widely across the department, including the patent litigation partners in the team all of whom have a significant amount of biotech/life science and pharmaceutical patent litigation experience. However, ultimately the candidate will be confident (and even relish) the opportunity of leading and establishing the biotech/life sciences patent attorney practice within this support network.

Duties and Responsibilities

We are looking for a Chartered and European Patent Attorney having biotech/ life science expertise. The ideal applicant will be highly motivated and driven, both in their day-to-day work and in light of the task of building out and developing the life science/biotech patent attorney function.

The successful candidate will work autonomously but as part of our fast-growing patents team. The candidate will be responsible for leading the development and growth of the biotech side of the patent attorney practice, whilst taking responsibility for handling client work in this technology space.

The candidate would preferably be willing and able to travel to, and work in our London office given that is where the rest of our patent attorney team is based. However, we would also be willing to consider candidates that wish to be based in our Cambridge or Oxford offices.

We operate a flexible working policy which enables you to balance home and office working, with a preference for you to be in the office 'more often than not'.

Skills/Experience

• UK and EP qualified and have at least 2 years PQE.
• Biotech/ life sciences experience.
• Graduate in any suitable discipline.
• Experience of working autonomously as a patent attorney, preferably with experience of managing others in that capacity.
• Preferably, a track record of helping to establish/grow a patent attorney team and winning work.
• Internal and external business development
• Able to build and develop long-lasting and trusting relationships with clients.
• A proven track record in all core patent attorney skills, including drafting and prosecuting patents across all major territories, managing patent portfolios, providing advice on patent infringement and validity advice, etc.
• Good experience with EPO Opposition and Opposition Appeal work
• Experience of acting for direct clients, particularly 'start-ups' and 'scale-ups'.
• Preferably, experience with litigation work.
• Good command of the relevant case law in your specialist field.
• Strong interpersonal skills and an ability to communicate effectively with a broad range of individuals.
• Preferably, experience in design work.
• Working independently or ready to move to the next stage of your career.

Please note that this job profile is not an exhaustive list of duties but merely an outline of the key components of the role. You may be required by your line manager to take on additional responsibilities when requested.

About The Mishcon de Reya Group

The Mishcon de Reya Group is an independent international professional service business with law at its heart, employing over 1450 people with close to 670 lawyers. It includes the law firm Mishcon de Reya LLP and a collection of leading consultancy businesses that complement the firm's legal services. We have grown rapidly in recent years, showing more than 40% revenue growth in the past five years alone.

Based in London, Cambridge, Oxford, and Singapore, with an association with Karas So LLP in Hong Kong, the firm services an international community of clients and provides advice in situations where the constraints of geography often do not apply. The work we undertake is cross-border, multi-jurisdictional and complex, spanning six core practice areas: Corporate ; Dispute Resolution ; Employment ; Innovation ; Private ; and Real Estate .

As of 1 January 2023, Mishcon de Reya and Taylor Vinters merged. The merger delivers on both firms' strategies to support the innovation economy and accelerate our growing share of the technology, media and life-sciences legal and consultancy services market in the UK and in key international innovation hubs globally.

In times of such far-reaching and profound change we want to be the law firm that enables our clients - and our own people - to shape the world's possibilities. We are here to help our clients benefit from new economies, new geographic centres of wealth, the new global movement of people and capital, and the impact of new technologies and new knowledge.

Our purpose remains rooted in our founding values. We take pride in the diverse range of people who make up the firm and are proactive in driving change and continuous improvement across the spectrum of equality, diversity and inclusion. Mishcon Academy , our in-house place of learning, development and new thinking for our people, clients and contacts and our innovative impact strategy, including a commitment to be a net zero carbon business , also play a central strategic role in the direction of the firm. In 2020 we launched Mishcon Purpose , a first-of-its-kind sustainability practice providing Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) advice and purpose-driven insight to clients.

The Mishcon de Reya Group comprises standalone businesses MDR Brand Management , MDR Cyber , MDR Discover , MDR Mayfair (in London, Singapore and Dubai) and MDRxTECH . Complementary to Mishcon de Reya's core areas of work, each is led by best in class professionals recruited from a variety of non-legal industries and sectors.

We strive to create a fully diverse and inclusive workplace where all our people are empowered to fulfil their potential. We are proud of our agile working culture and are always happy to talk flexible working.