Trainee Patent Attorney – AI & Machine Learning

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. At Mewburn Ellis we’re collegial, supportive and progressive. With an industry-leading training programme and a placement 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.

“Working with different teams during training ensures that we get to work with technology in a wide range of fields, and we get to know everyone really well – there are so many great people to learn from!” Lucy, Attorney

Trained for Excellence is one of our key values that permeates our firm, the impact 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.

Exciting developments in AI and machine learning are driving disruptive innovation in all fields of technology. As these developments continue to transform our daily lives, it’s never been a more exciting time to be at the forefront of this technology. At Mewburn Ellis we are part of this change, and we advise and help our clients use intellectual property rights to nurture and protect their innovations, ideas and inventions and deliver them to market. The accelerating development seen in these fields involving big data, machine learning, software development are challenging the legal limitations surrounding the patentability of computer-implemented inventions. This often means we are involved in pioneering legal work at the fringes of what is patentable.

Join us and you could work in these fields with a range of clients from well-known companies through to new start-ups and innovation leading universities such as Cambridge and Imperial.

“The technology and legal framework surrounding machine learning changes at such a rapid pace making working in this field both uniquely interesting, challenging, and exciting. Each day in the office is never the same as I spend time getting to grips with the latest improvements in AI (and their application) as well as helping develop and utilise the caselaw to secure rights for my clients.” Rebecca, Attorney

Find out more about our diverse portfolio, the work we do on our website.

The role reflects 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 AI and machine learning background to good use. Our unique placement 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
• Enhanced pension scheme / family leave
• Financial support for location changes – see placement scheme online
• 30 days annual leave (not inc. bank holidays) and 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 healthcare cash plan 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 45 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. You can find out more about our Forward Community Programme online, which details how we’re giving back to the community, our commitment to sustainability (such as the Mewburn forest) and how promoting and nurturing diversity and inclusion is a top priority.

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. Having an open‑minded personable approach to learning will also serve you well! The role is highly specialist so a strong academic background within this technical area is critical. This could be a degree in core AI technologies or a more general degree (e.g., computer science, mathematics, or physics) but with strong evidence of applicable post‑grad learning – perhaps a Masters in AI or Machine Learning coupled with solid industry experience or a specialist PhD in a relevant field. Please note that due to the level of expertise required, we are unable to progress applications that don’t meet these criteria.

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. Read our Job Applicant Privacy Policy online for more details. Please mention IP Careers when applying to Mewburn Ellis LLP.