Life as a trainee Patent Attorney means using your academic background in a stimulating and varied way. Working on innovations and inventions at the forefront of your scientific field.

“The work is stimulating, with each case bringing its own unique blend of legal, technical, and commercial challenges.  No two days are the same, and there is a real sense of constant improvement.” Juliana, Attorney

At Mewburn Ellis we’re collegial, supportive and progressive. With an industry-leading training programme and a rotation scheme that keeps learning fresh and insightful we ensure that you’re set up to develop quickly and learn about the profession from a variety of partners from day one.

“I have found attorneys at Mewburn to be approachable and easy to get along with – they are really great people to learn from.” Dan, Attorney.

Trained for Excellence is one of our key values that permeates our firm, the impact of which is evident at every level, indeed over 70% of our partners trained with us. The training programme underpins who we are and our forward-looking, ambitious approach. And as it’s delivered in a structured and focused manner it means that everyone at Mewburn Ellis is able to develop their full potential as a high level attorney.

Engineering at Mewburn Ellis – Electrical, Mechanical, Materials

 Innovation across the fields of engineering is changing how we live our lives in new and exciting ways. This change covers a wide range of areas from materials engineering which could involve developments in medical devices, graphene or next generation batteries to electrical and mechanical engineering as well as critical new environmental areas such as renewable energy and cleantech.  We deal with future inventions in an increasingly interconnected world of humans, devices, robots and vehicles which is involving at pace! As Mewburn Ellis works at the very forefront of this change, we have the expertise to advise and help our clients to use intellectual property rights to nurture and protect their innovations, ideas and inventions and deliver them to market.

Engineering and electronics are particularly fast-moving dynamic growth areas for our business and the team is growing quickly due to our reputation for quality, the expertise of our people and our strong client relationships. Join us and you could work in these fields with a range of clients from well-known companies such as Hitachi, Mitsubishi Electric, PING through to new start-ups and innovation leading universities such as Cambridge and Imperial.

The role

Reflecting the exciting technology spaces in which our clients operate, you will work closely with colleagues across our engineering, technology and physics practice group but also with attorneys from our life sciences and chemistry practice groups, as well as our solicitors and trade mark team. We take a holistic approach to IP and that will be a theme throughout your training and beyond.

Our training programme is varied sometimes challenging but always rewarding. You will be invested in to grow personally and professionally. There’ll be lots of learning and opportunities to put your engineering background to good use.

Our unique rotation scheme gives you the opportunity to work with different mentors and across different areas allowing you to develop as an attorney and find your niche.

You will sit with a qualified patent attorney and assist them with all parts of their work, including drafting and prosecuting patent applications and advising clients about various aspects of intellectual property law. Essentially we provide you with all the tools you need to become a Trusted Advisor to clients, helping you use your scientific background in a legal context.

What’s in it for you?

• A friendly, inclusive and team-based working culture
• A hybrid office and home working approach
• A generous remuneration package with twice yearly salary reviews for all trainees
• Enhanced pension scheme / family leave
• Concierge service for any office moves inc. paid time off, financial support
• 30 days annual leave (not including bank holidays & additional study leave days)
• Wide range of domestic and international clients with the chance to work abroad
• One paid day off per year for charitable endeavours and fundraising matching
• Firmwide discretionary bonus
• Multiple additional benefits such as discount vouchers, workplace ISA, electric car, bike to work and medicash schemes

You’ll be well supported to pass your exams as well as develop your all-round skills as a patent attorney through our internal and external tutorials and regular input from experienced partners, backed up by feedback on your progress to inform and assist your development. And because we’re merit-based, your career progression is truly in your own hands.

We’re a leading European intellectual property firm with four UK offices and one in Munich. We’ve grown steadily and now have over 350 colleagues including 50 Trainees so expect to be part of a decent sized cohort of like-minded scientists! In many ways our successful growth story is down to our training and our long-term commitment to the wellbeing of our people. As part of this we have a variety of informal sporting and social events as well as running various charity initiatives.

About You

We look for individuals with a curious, enquiring mind. Excellent communication skills, especially in writing, are vital. General commercial awareness is valuable but no prior knowledge of patent law is required. A strong academic background with a relevant STEM degree (for example Electrical & Electronics Engineering, Mechanical Engineering) is essential and having an open-minded personable approach to learning will also serve you well!

If the role sounds appealing and you could start your career journey with us in Bristol, Cambridge, London or Manchester we’d love to hear from you.

We’re committed to equal opportunities and welcome a broad diversity of talent to apply.

Your privacy

As part of our recruitment process, Mewburn Ellis collects and processes personal data relating to job applicants.