Withers & Rogers LLP are looking for a bright and curious mind to join the firm's Advanced Engineering group in September 2025 as a Trainee Patent Attorney.

This is an opportunity to train and qualify as a Patent Attorney in both the UK and Europe, working with some of the world’s most exciting businesses to help protect their cutting-edge technology.

A career in the patent profession offers a unique platform to put your technical expertise into practice in a commercial environment. Long-term career prospects are fantastic and Withers & Rogers pride themselves on their employees' work-life balance: realistic business targets mean that you will have time for a life outside of the office.

Apply now to join Withers & Rogers and discover why a career as a Patent Attorney is a fantastic use of your academic training.

Becoming a Patent Attorney at Withers & Rogers

An excellent salary is on offer, as well as a discretionary Christmas bonus and our full package of employee benefits which includes our healthcare cash plan, holiday buy/sell scheme, a generous sabbatical policy and more.

Qualification as a Chartered UK & European Patent Attorney involves passing several sets of examinations and we provide a comprehensive package of support for our trainees through the process. We will pay for you to attend courses, lectures and tutorials which are organised by the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA). In addition, we have our own in-house tutorial system to prepare trainees for both the UK and European qualifying exams. Our patent professionals offer advice and help throughout so you won't be on your own.

The main focus of training, however, is exposure to a great variety of work on actual live cases under the supervision of a qualified Attorney. We give our trainees real responsibility early on, and you should expect to be making a significant contribution to client work within your first year.

Who we're looking for

Applicants should have a strong degree (2:1 or above at undergraduate level as a minimum) in a mechanical, chemical or related engineering discipline.

You will be able to demonstrate a passion for technology that goes beyond the academic, excellent written and verbal communication skills, and the ability to grasp new technical concepts. Confidence when communicating effectively with clients and staff of all levels is also prerequisite.

Though not essential, relevant work experience may put candidates at an advantage and we would welcome applications from experienced individuals who wish to make a career change into the patent profession.

Why choose Withers & Rogers?

Withers & Rogers is one of Europe’s largest dedicated intellectual property law firms. Our Advanced Engineering group is enthusiastic about great engineering. Our team works across a hugely diverse span of technologies, from medical devices, motorsport, oil and gas exploration, vehicle transmission to off-highway vehicles and sporting goods and more.

We believe that our patent and trade mark attorneys, support, and operations staff have a breadth of expertise and a depth of specialist sector knowledge that is second to none. Our purpose is building trusting relationships and our vision is to be an independent, responsible, sustainably profitable, and globally focused firm, known for building trusting relationships.

We focus on building strong partnerships with clients - getting to know their business, seeking to understand how best to protect the fruits of their developments and how to ensure that IP protection genuinely adds value to their organisation.

At Withers & Rogers, we believe in nurturing a diverse working environment where everybody feels included and valued. We are committed to attracting, developing and retaining people from all walks of life and backgrounds. We promise to create a culture of inclusion where all individuals feel respected, are treated fairly, can enjoy a good work-life balance, and have the opportunity to excel in their chosen career.

Next Steps

The closing date for applications is Monday 14 April 2025. The assessment day is booked to take place on 28 May 2025 in our London office. Successful applicants will start in September 2025, however earlier start dates will be considered.

Our application form is online and your progress will be saved once you have started the application, allowing you to make edits prior to submitting if you wish to.

Candidates who meet shortlisting requirements will be asked to undertake an online aptitude assessment which we will use to aid our sifting process.

For any questions relating to the vacancy or the application process, please contact the HR team on 0117 925 3030, or by email at HR@withersrogers.com.

About Us

Withers & Rogers is one of Europe’s largest dedicated intellectual property law firms, with offices across the UK, Paris, and Munich. Established 140 years ago, we remain as passionate as ever about making intellectual property work to our clients’ best advantage. Today, our clients include many renowned, innovative organisations from across Europe, North America, and Asia.

We believe that our patent and trade mark attorneys, support, and operations staff have a breadth of expertise and a depth of specialist sector knowledge that is second to none.
Our purpose is building trusting relationships and our vision is to be an independent, responsible, sustainably profitable, and globally focused firm.

The Role

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join our Advanced Engineering group supporting a diverse range of highly innovative engineering businesses in the UK and overseas. This role is focused principally on supporting some of the UK’s most prestigious engineering businesses in sectors including off-highway vehicles, automotive, and building products with patent drafting, UK, European and international patent prosecution and competitor monitoring. This will involve direct interaction with inhouse counsel and engineers.

This is a full time, permanent position based in one of our UK locations: Bristol, London, Sheffield or Warwick.

In this role, your responsibilities will include:

- Drafting specifications and responding to office actions for complex inventions efficiently and to a high standard.
- Advising clients on securing appropriate IP protection.
- Assisting with Oral Proceedings at the European Patent Office.
- Corresponding with clients, Patent Offices and overseas Attorneys.
- Analysing prior art and working directly with clients to develop creative and persuasive arguments against patent office objections.
- Thoroughly analysing and amending existing patent specifications where necessary to address patent office objections to patent applications.
- Researching and advising on the status, scope and validity of third-party intellectual property rights.
- Engaging in business development activities including writing articles and, if qualified, supporting junior fee earners in their business development practice.
- Developing relationships with our current clients and building a network of contacts, with a view to converting contacts to clients and bringing in new business.

About You

To join us in this position, we require:

- A part-qualified/qualified UK and European Patent Attorney.
- Degree in mechanical engineering or similar discipline and comfortable handling mechanical, electromechanical and control system related inventions. The ability to communicate effectively about technical concepts with the research and development teams of our clients.
- Skilled in analysing and identifying the novel features and commercial potential of an invention with demonstrable experience in drafting patent specifications and responses to office actions for prosecution.
- Impeccable written English, attention to detail and first-rate communication skills with the ability to express ideas clearly and accurately.
- A track record of interacting effectively with staff and clients at all levels and a team-player with a proactive approach. A track record of building rapport with clients and developing new business.
- The ability to prioritise workload, manage high volumes of work and meet deadlines.

Your Rewards

- Competitive salary
- Benefits such as healthcare cash plan and additional holiday purchase scheme
- Flexible working options
- Enhanced Parental Leave options
- Positive and welcoming work environment

Applications will be reviewed as they are received so early applications are encouraged.

We foster a supportive and inclusive culture where employees are encouraged to broaden their knowledge, challenge themselves and share their ideas.

If you think you have the skills to succeed, we would love to hear from you.

About Us

Withers & Rogers is one of Europe’s largest dedicated intellectual property law firms, with offices across the UK, Paris, and Munich. Established more than 140 years ago, we remain as passionate as ever about making intellectual property work to our clients’ best advantage. Today, our clients include many renowned, innovative organisations from across Europe, North America, and Asia.

We believe that our patent and trade mark attorneys, support, and operations staff have a breadth of expertise and a depth of specialist sector knowledge that is second to none.
Our purpose is building trusting relationships, and our vision is to be an independent, responsible, sustainably profitable, and globally focused firm, known for building trusting relationships.

The purpose of this role is to support the Office Manager in providing the highest standard of post processing and administration to the Withers & Rogers' London office.

The Role

This is a part time permanent position based in our London office.

In this role, your responsibilities will include:

- Opening, scanning and distributing daily post
- Collecting deliveries/ delivering post from reception
- Assisting with archiving legal documents
- Preparing and sending out UK, International and internal post
- Arranging and tracking couriers such as DHL
- Being the main point of contact for post related queries across the firm
- Greeting visitors and directing them to the appropriate person
- Assisting with setting up refreshments and catering for meetings
- Liaising with security regarding expected visitors
- Maintain stock checks for stationery equipment, kitchen and meeting room items

About You

To join us as a Post Administrator you’ll need:

- The ability to work autonomously and take ownership of tasks.
- A confident, proactive approach to working.
- Experience in an office-based administration or front of house role
- Experience providing excellent customer service, communicating effectively with staff and clients at all levels
- Impeccable time management and prioritisation skills.
- Good general IT literacy and the ability to learn new systems with ease.

Your Rewards

- Competitive salary
- Benefits such as healthcare cash plan and additional holiday purchase scheme
- Enhanced Parental Leave options
- Positive and welcoming work environment

Applications will be reviewed as they are received so early applications are encouraged.

We foster a supportive and inclusive culture where employees are encouraged to broaden their knowledge, challenge themselves and share their ideas.

If you think you have the skills to succeed, we would love to hear from you.

Withers & Rogers is one of Europe’s largest dedicated intellectual property law firms, with offices across the UK, Paris and Munich. Established more than 140 years ago, we remain as passionate as ever about making intellectual property work to our clients’ best advantage. Today, our clients include many renowned, innovative organisations from across Europe, North America, and Asia.

We believe that our patent and trade mark attorneys, support, and operations staff have a breadth of expertise and a depth of specialist sector knowledge that is second to none. Our purpose is building trusting relationships and our vision is to be an independent, responsible, sustainably profitable, and globally focused firm, known for building trusting relationships.

The Role

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join our IT team, delivering 1st line technical support to our busy intellectual property firm. This is a full time, permanent position based in our Bristol office. Hybrid working options, including working from home, are available. There is an expectation that you will need to attend the Bristol office once per week on average, or as required by the role. Travel to other offices will be required on an occasional basis.

In this role your responsibilities will include:

Helpdesk
- Acting as first point of contact for all Helpdesk calls, emails and alerts. Assisting users remotely (over email and phone) and face-to-face.
- Logging all calls promptly, assessing the urgency of Helpdesk calls, prioritising accordingly and adding progress notes to all calls.
- Assessing the complexity of an issue and progressing autonomously, escalating when required.
- Monitoring call queue to ensure issues/problems are addressed in a timely manner.
- Communicating with users on the status of Helpdesk calls and proactively managing problem calls through to completion in a timely manner.
- Troubleshooting to help resolve issues.
- Researching solutions to problems and documenting them on the Knowledge Base for future reference.
- Setting up and maintaining user accounts on systems.
- Providing occasional on-site support at other sites to resolve issues.
- Assisting with IT projects.

PC Builds
- Co-ordinating the process of setting up new employees with all necessary IT equipment and system access.
- Applying software licensing requirements within the Helpdesk environment.
- Procuring hardware/software as required.
- Ensuring that the latest builds are applied, that the devices meet a standard quality level and are made available for deployment within assigned timescales.
- Configuration of new software for both office based and remote workers.
- Escalating technical and software build issues to the Infrastructure Manager.

About You

To join us as a 1st Line Support Engineer, you'll need:

- Experience of at least one year in an IT Helpdesk environment, with knowledge of Microsoft Windows operating systems (Windows 10 and 11) and Office 365 applications.
- Basic understanding of Windows Server, Active Directory, and solid knowledge of basic network operation including TCP/IP, DNS and DHCP.
- Knowledge of desktop, laptop, and printer troubleshooting. An understanding of SharePoint Online is desirable.
- Ability to provide remote end user support via remote control tools. Confidence in guiding users through a series of actions face-to-face and over the phone.
- Experience managing multiple cases simultaneously and troubleshooting system and network problems, diagnosing and solving hardware or software faults
- Exceptional attention to detail and pride in accuracy, excellent communication skills and able to translate technical information to all levels of internal and external contacts, third party consultants and software vendors.
- Ability to balance and prioritise workload, remain composed and level-headed during periods of particularly busy activity, and being proactive in helping other members of the team.

Applications will be reviewed as they are received so early applications are encouraged.

We foster a supportive and inclusive culture where employees are encouraged to broaden their knowledge, challenge themselves and share their ideas.

If you think you have the skills to succeed, we would love to hear from you.