Legal Assistant / Associate

Responsibilities

• Handle end-to-end trade mark prosecution across multiple jurisdictions, driving applications from filing through to registration.
• Run bulk and rolling filing programmes: scoping class and jurisdiction coverage with business teams and managing national and Madrid Protocol routes.
• Manage the response workflow for office actions and refusals. Prepare first-cut analyses, work with external counsel to draft responses, assemble evidence, propose specification amendments, and manage deadlines.
• Handle contentious matters end-to-end — trade mark watch review, oppositions, invalidations, cancellations and appeals — including evidence collation, preparing/reviewing drafts and supervising external counsels through to decision.
• Support enforcement and brand protection: infringement and passing off complaints, cease-and-desist correspondence, takedowns, and coordination with business teams.
• End-to-end docketing: procedural deadlines, renewals, recordals (assignments, name and address changes), portfolio records, trackers, filing and status reporting.
• Manage external counsel commercially — scope instructions tightly, obtain and compare fee quotes, monitor spend against budget, and review invoices.
• Potentially support patent filings and prosecution as the portfolio develops.
• Prepare clear, decision-ready summaries and recommendations for internal stakeholders, and escalate risk issues promptly.
• Other related tasks assigned from time to time.

Requirements

• At least 6 years of hands-on trade mark prosecution experience, gained at a law firm, or IP agency.
• Demonstrated experience managing multi-jurisdiction portfolios and instructing foreign associates, including Madrid Protocol practice.
• Practical experience with contentious matters (oppositions, cancellations, invalidations).
• Strong docketing discipline. Meticulous, organised and committed to delivering high-quality work.
• Proactive, able to work with autonomy, with sound judgement on when to escalate.
• Patent prosecution experience is an advantage but not essential.
• Able to multitask and deliver at pace in a dynamic, fast-growing environment.
• Highly ethical, discreet and able to maintain confidentiality.