Solicitor

Shakespeare Martineau is a leading law firm that combines creativity, commerciality and clarity. We work with blue-chip companies, leading organisations, high street brands and individuals across the country.

Our multi-disciplinary team delivers a broad range of specialist legal services, and particularly stands out for its expertise across sectors including, but not limited to: energy, education, banking and financial services, investment funds, healthcare and advanced manufacturing. 

We’re proud of our people’s varied backgrounds and expertise. Our different qualities stand out and make us interesting to our clients.

We firmly believe in working hard and being ambitious. We look to recruit and develop talented people to achieve their potential - and who will contribute to achieving ours too.

Here you can fulfil your ambitions, whatever they are and however rapidly you want to achieve them. Together, and individually, we create exceptional results.

Our Corporate and Commercial group undertakes various corporate, commercial, tax, banking and employment work at all levels. Our specialist teams combine unsurpassed expertise with a sound understanding of the corporate landscape to provide exceptional solutions for every aspect of our clients’ corporate and business law requirements.

Our Commercial & IP team advises across the broad spectrum of Technology, Media and Telecoms, from IP and IT to complex supply chain arrangements. With the benefit of significant in-house experience, the team has a thorough understanding of the issues facing businesses and their requirements for legal services. We have a track record of success in acting for clients across a diverse range of goods and services and also have wide experience in the protection, enforcement and exploitation of IP rights in relation to advertising, confidential information, copyright and database rights, data protection, designs, patents and trade marks, brands and reputation.

The role:

You will be working on a wide range of work including both contentious and non-contentious commercial law. 

This role involves complex transactions, assisting with advising companies and individuals on exploiting and enforcing patents, confidential information and know how, designs, trade marks and copyright, as well as matters involving advertising, privacy law, reputation and defamation.

This role will be split across the Leicester and Nottingham offices, working 3 days per week in the Leicester office and 2 days in the Nottingham office.

Your key duties will be:

• working alongside senior lawyers to provide assistance on a range of commercial & IP work, with an emphasis on IP technology
• assisting on large complex deals with appropriate supervision, and also building up your own caseload of straightforward matters
• handling enquiries efficiently
• liaising with clients in a professional manner
• working to strict deadlines

Skills and experience you will have:

• up to 2 years’ previous experience gained in commercial & IP law working within a law firm (for Newly Qualified candidates, relevant experience gained during your training contract is essential)
• strong IT skills

Key competencies you will need:

• a desire to specialise in this area of law
• the ability to manage files effectively
• a desire to enhance client relationships through day-to-day activity
• excellent communication skills
• a high degree of initiative and the ability to cope in a demanding environment
• excellent organisational and prioritising skills
• the ability to work in a busy team

About you – you will be:

• highly enthusiastic, willing to go the extra mile and be happy to go beyond the job description
• respectful towards others and have a positive, willing and ‘can do’ attitude
• keen to learn, interested in driving your own career progression and be proactive in taking ownership of this

Due to the nature of the work undertaken, confirmation of employment will be subject to a variety of checks which will be carried out once an offer of employment is accepted. Details of the checks can be found here.

Shakespeare Martineau is a committed equal opportunities employer. We seek to attract, develop and retain talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds and cultures. We value and respect individuality and encourage a culture within our business where people can be themselves and be valued for their strengths and experiences. Everyone who either applies to or works for the firm is treated equally, regardless of their gender, age, ethnic origin, nationality, marital status, sexual orientation or religious beliefs.