Job Description
Join our Intellectual Property (IP) team as a Knowledge Lawyer, providing legal and technical support to all fee earners in our market‑leading IP team. This is an excellent opportunity for an IP lawyer or current Professional Support Lawyer (PSL) / Knowledge Lawyer to work within a team that places teamwork and excellence at the centre of everything it does.
Main Purpose of the Role
The Knowledge Lawyer role is pivotal to the continued success of the team and will include delivering training and know‑how to the team and clients, writing articles and presentations, developing podcasts, horizon scanning to bring opinions and ideas to the team and helping with business development initiatives. You will work closely with the team's partners on delivering the team's thought leadership programme. You will also be an important sounding board for ideas from the team and assisting fee earners in the delivery of high‑quality advice to clients.
Professional Support Lawyer (PSL) / Knowledge Lawyer experience would be preferred but is by no means essential and we are open to speaking to solicitors or barristers who are looking for an alternative career path. We require someone in Birmingham with a minimum of 6 PQE.
Main Duties and Responsibilities
- Keeping abreast of all case law and legal developments in the UK and EU pertaining to IP.
- To undertake research and answer specific legal queries across all areas of IP.
- To develop and lead weekly training sessions to the team, deciding upon relevant training topics, preparing training material and giving training where appropriate.
- To ensure fee earners are kept up to date on new legislation, cases and articles of interest whether on an individual, team or group‑wide basis.
- To prepare and deliver training to client seminars in conjunction with IP fee earners and partners.
- To write articles and alerts for external publication, including identifying suitable topics, writing articles and liaising with IP Partners.
- To develop material for podcasts and work with the team to prepare and deliver.
- To work with the IP partners in relation to horizon scanning to bring opinions and ideas to the team and help with business development initiatives.
- To work closely with the IP partners on business development initiatives and the team's thought leadership programme.
- To assist with the group's digital offerings, including writing articles for the firm's website, producing podcasts, tweeting etc.
- To curate and update the team’s precedent bank and know‑how database.
- To undertake any other reasonable duties delegated by any IP Partner, senior business support services manager, or senior Professional Support Lawyer / Knowledge Lawyer.
- To attend relevant market sector training and other external events as appropriate, and from time to time possibly also Court Users’ meetings and other relevant meetings.
About You
- A strong, general IP background.
- A thorough knowledge of the Civil Procedure Rules and other procedural guidelines.
- A thorough knowledge of and ability to navigate and use research tools, both electronic and hard copy.
- Excellent drafting skills.
- First‑rate communication skills – both written and oral.
- Highly self‑motivated, enthusiastic and able to work on own initiative.
- Capable of working under pressure and time constraints.
- Able to work with minimal supervision.
- Positive and flexible.
- Forward‑thinking.
- Enjoys training and can engage with people at all levels.
- Able to work as a member of both a small team and a wider group.
What We Can Offer You
The opportunity to work for a firm that has been recognised as one of the best places to work in the UK and has been ranked by Great Place to Work® for 26 consecutive years.
Excellent benefits, including:
- A hybrid approach to office and remote working.
- 25 days annual leave, with the option to buy up to a week's extra annual leave.
- Private medical insurance, with the option to add family members.
- A generous pension allowance.
- Life assurance covering four times your annual salary.
- The chance of a three‑month sabbatical every five years.
- Maternity, paternity and adoption leave schemes.
- A range of health and wellbeing programmes.
- State‑of‑the‑art offices in the heart of Birmingham City Centre, with an onsite restaurant.
- Opportunities to flourish in your role through training and personal development.
Equal Opportunities
Gowling WLG is committed to promoting equality and diversity in the firm and to Equal Opportunities in employment. The firm believes in equality of opportunity regardless of race or racial group (including colour, nationality, ethnicity, national origins), religion or belief, age, disability, sexual orientation, sex, gender re‑assignment and gender identity, marriage or civil partnership, and pregnancy, maternity and paternity. This also includes any incidents of perceptive or associative discrimination and harassment.
At Gowling WLG we seek to attract and retain talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds and cultures, to create an exciting and rewarding place to work. Our aim is to fulfil everyone's potential and together achieve personal and business goals.
Any offers we make will be conditional on clearance by the SRA, evidence of eligibility to work in the UK and DBS clearance.
If you have any queries in relation to this position or would like to see a full job description please contact Nana Panti‑Amoa on Nana.Panti‑Amoa@gowlingwlg.com.
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