We are a leading European intellectual property firm, acting for many of the world’s most innovative and successful companies. Our specialist teams are led by practitioners who have been at the forefront of the industry for years, acting in landmark cases before the EPO and the national courts of Europe.

We hire talented and passionate people who think creatively and enjoy a challenge. Working collaboratively, we share our knowledge and experience across teams, actively learning from each other in a friendly and sociable environment.

We are passionate about creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. Diversity of thought is vital to our business; it’s how we approach challenges differently and offer our clients creative and original solutions. Through our work with organisations such as IP Inclusive, Stonewall and Business in the Community via the Race at Work Charter, we are putting the right steps in place to make sure that all our people feel supported and empowered to be themselves.

A healthy work/life balance is very important to us and we run regular wellbeing events in addition to the large number of clubs and social activities that are available to everyone at the firm. We are also enthusiastic supporters of our local community through partnerships with the Social Mobility Foundation and Holborn Community Association.

What you can expect as a Patent Secretary

As a Patent Secretary, you will be responsible for providing full secretarial, PA and administrative support for approximately 6 Fee Earners of mixed seniority.

Reporting to the Team Leader you are responsible for a range of activities including:

Legal Support

• Proactively prepare official forms for UK, European and international patent and design applications and some foreign patent applications
• Daily monitoring of prompt schedules, dealing with cases independently where possible, and liaising with records to remove old prompts
• Amending letters, emails, specifications (including using tracked changes), ensuring completed documents are delivered accurately and to a consistently high standard
• Using the internal database to look up case/client information, using links to relevant Patent Office websites
• Preparing papers/bundles for oral proceedings
• Preparing standard reporting letters without instruction

Secretarial support

• Diary management including reminding Fee Earners in good time of their meetings and travel arrangements and prioritising where needed
• Scheduling meetings (in person and virtual) including arranging all logistics (booking room, arranging refreshments, liaising with the Technology team, etc.)
• Preparing relevant papers and presentations for meetings
• Business travel arrangements and booking Munich flat/office as and when required
• Liaising with clients and the EPO directly and taking detailed telephone messages
• Primary point of contact for Fee Earners

Other

• Supporting additional project work
• Preparing invoices by checking and amending narrative(s) via our billing portal checking client details, receiving unbilled WIP lists, liaising with accounts when necessary
• File management: including scanning and managing case files via the DMS (SharePoint)
• Providing cover in other secretaries’ absence
• Liaising with other departments and fee earners as required
• Constantly prioritising workload
• Attending team meetings and practice group meetings
• Implementing up-to-date client special instructions
• Requesting translations
• Sending out assignment documents and forwarding on communications from foreign attorneys
• Monitoring e-workspaces when fee earners are away, dealing with files independently, where possible
• Creating and maintaining pages and publishing material on intranet

Previous Experience/Education:

• Recognised secretarial qualification (1 year course minimum); or
• Previous relevant office experience as a Secretary or Team Administrator

Person Specification:

• Proactive with the ability to work on own initiative as well as being a strong team player
• Has the ability to anticipate problems and devise solutions to meet them
• Is flexible when required
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
• Organised and able to prioritise turnaround time of work
• Able to meet tight deadlines and work under pressure
• Fast and accurate typing
• Ability to compose simple letters with little to no assistance
• Friendly, personable and approachable

Systems Used:

• IT literate with knowledge of Microsoft Office tools (Outlook/PowerPoint/Excel/Word etc.)
• Epoline
• Inprotech
• SharePoint

We are proud of our inclusive culture where individual differences are celebrated, and we are committed to providing equal opportunities to all employees and job applicants. We do not tolerate discrimination either directly or indirectly on the basis of race, ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, gender identity or expression, religion or belief, marital or civil partnership status, age, disability, pregnancy and maternity, socio economic background or any characteristic protected by law. Our approach is embodied in our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy, as well as our diversity and inclusion programmes.

Please note that we do not accept speculative CVs from recruitment consultants unless specifically requested.