Senior Associate / Partner (IP & Trade Marks)

What you’ll do

Due to continued success, we are seeking to recruit an experienced Senior Associate or Partner to join our highly regarded brand and trade marks team, based in either Bristol or Exeter.

Our brand and trade marks team comprises of a mixture of Solicitors and Trade Mark Attorneys, many of whom are listed as leading lawyers in the Legal 500 and Chambers directories. The team is regularly featured in the World Trademark Review 1000 publication, and boast an impressive roster of clients including Creed fragrances, Majestic Wines, What3Words and Aardman Animations Limited.

With a focus on both UK and International client portfolios, you’ll work on all aspects of a clients needs, including conducting all legal work related to trade marks and brands. Typically, you will be responsible for filing, prosecuting, registering, renewing and maintaining, opposing, invalidating and enforcing (including via Court/legal proceedings), licensing and assigning trade marks.

Furthermore, you will often be drafting and negotiating co-existence agreements and merchandising agreements, clearing proposed advertising campaigns and operating TM watching services to identify third party conflicting trade marks.

From the outset you can expect to have a varied caseload, with clients from a range of sectors including luxury goods, insurance, technology, healthcare, energy, retail and transport. As such, you can expect exposure to high quality, and often high value work.

Who you are

As an experienced Partner, Associate or Trade Mark Attorney working for a successful brands and trade marks team, you will be naturally ambitious and self-motivated, with a drive to continue growing your practice.

Recognised for your communication skills, you’ll excel in gaining the confidence of your clients, with an ability to build and maintain strong relationships. Perhaps with some previous experience of managing more junior colleagues, you’ll relish the opportunity to assist the team with their growth plans.

Our relationship with our clients is paramount. You'll have enthusiasm and flair for client contact, networking and business development, being a strong and confident communicator who enjoys generating and developing new business connections, which you will ideally already have begun doing in your current role.

We’ll expect you to take ownership over the cases you’re working on from the outset, so you will possess a natural resilience to coping with stressful and demanding situations, often with the need to work to tight timeframes.

Why join Team Ashfords?

Ask our people, and they will tell you that they genuinely enjoy coming to work and spending time with their colleagues. We’re confident that once you discover our open and friendly culture, it won’t take long for you to feel the same.

We have a genuine team approach at Ashfords because we know that when talented people work together, we achieve more for our clients and each other. We also recognise that each of our career journeys is unique. So, we will be ambitious for you and give you the support you need to develop your career, your way.

Importantly, we will give you the space and flexibility for your life outside work too.

Our goal? To help you realise your full potential as part of a forward-thinking team and business.

That’s what sets us apart.

Our offer

We offer a range of benefits to support you at work and at home.

This includes a flexible working framework, extra annual leave for your birthday and the option to buy more holiday.

We have a comprehensive package to support physical and mental health, healthcare plans, an Employee Assistance programme and free access to the Calm mindfulness app.

You’ll also have the chance to get involved in our responsible business programme, including taking part in fundraising initiatives and bringing your energy to our environment or diversity groups.

What next?

Interested in this vacancy but not sure you match all the requirements?

At Ashfords, we are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce. We offer training and development opportunities to all of our people to help everyone reach their full potential. Even if your skills and experience aren’t a perfect match, we’d still love to hear from you. If you’re not the right candidate for this role, you could be the right candidate for other positions at Ashfords.

For an informal and confidential discussion about this opportunity, please contact Toby Tompkins, Talent Attraction Manager, on 01392 333 654 or via email: t.tompkins@ashfords.co.uk.

Or apply now, and we will be in touch with you as soon as possible.