Job Description :
IP Paralegal
Location: London
Type: Permanent
Closing Date: 23/8/2023
Context/Scope:
As part of the Global IP Team, this role has responsibility for the clearance, protection and registration, enhancement and renewal of Diageo’s IP portfolio of trade marks, designs and copyright across a range of markets in Africa, MENA and Europe, as well as providing global paralegal support to some of Diageo’s globalbrand teams.
Dimensions
IP work across the breadth of Diageo’s brand portfolio and supporting Diageo internal IP counsel as necessary. In addition, generally assisting the Global IP Team, the wider Diageo legal function and Global Brand Teams to meet business objectives, including, when necessary, helping members of the IP team in other markets and across other brands as and when workload requires.
Financial:
There is no formal budget responsibility but a general requirement to provide support in a commercial and cost-effective manner as well as assisting with the collation of budget information and helping IP Counsel and Marketing teams to manage their budgets.
Market Complexity:
Support will be provided to Diageo’s innovation and marketing teams covering a range of markets in Africa, MENA and Europe as well as global support to Global Brand Teams. Supporting Diageo internal IP counsel, this role will help the business navigate a challenging innovation and renovation agenda, as well as a significant number of global marketing campaigns. This role is responsible for and/or supports Diageo IP Counsel to provide the IP clearance, registration, management, enforcement and renewal of Diageo brands in a range of markets with widely varying degrees of sophistication and complexity in terms of protection offered and enforcement permitted. The key markets of responsibility can also involve IP registries where bureaucracy, significant delays in process and unpredictable changes in practice are common and require skill and tenacity in order to successfully navigate them.
To the extent that it is needed, this role will also provide IP support to Diageo’s Brand Protection team, including helping to put in place the recordal of Diageo brands with Customs authorities to support the fight against counterfeits.
The large number of countries and extensive IP enforcement challenges, and thus extensive IP portfolio and number of external agents, requires the IP Paralegal to be highly organised and efficient.
Leadership Responsibilities and LEAP:
High levels of independent work and self-motivation. Must be a self-starter who is responsible and accountable within the IP team and to stakeholders.
Must be able to establish and maintain great relationships with stakeholders, including the marketing and innovation teams, to: (i) understand strategic priorities and (ii) ensure that there is the opportunity to input at the right stage on matters which require sound IP judgement and experience.
Ability to stand in the future, anticipate and help contribute to the strategy of the Global IP team and lean on past experiences to help shape the future.
Must be curious and willing to learn, share ideas and understand the priorities of Diageo and its categories.
Be able to cut through complexities, simplify and articulate clearly. Prioritise tasks based on value-add.
Must be agile, persevere, able to work under pressure and be capable of managing a heavy workload in order to prioritise and respond within deadlines.
Build and maintain strong relationships with key external counsel globally, to ensure they understand business needs and provide fit for purpose advice at the right level of cost.
Must be able to work with internal and external legal counsel in other time zones and with different language and cultural backgrounds.
Purpose of Role:
Work within a Global IP team consisting of IP lawyers and other IP Paralegals. Have responsibility for a significant IP portfolio to deliver high-quality, commercially orientated IP advice to Diageo and its marketing and innovation functions.
Key outputs may vary over time, however, these typically include:
Participate effectively as a team member delivering all aspects of world-class IP legal services. Assist in all aspects of trade mark clearance, prosecution, registration, conflicts and renewals for example:
a. Conduct preliminary clearance searches; analyse results and prepare draft reports to the business;
b. Instruct clearance searches in the relevant territory, analyse results and prepare draft reports to the business;
c. File trade mark and/or design applications and prosecute through to registration (e.g. deal with examination reports and supporting documentation) via our dedicated agent;
d. Review draft opposition/revocation/cancellation notices for trade mark proceedings, collect and collate evidence to support all opposition proceedings and prepare draft supporting observations;
e. Manage relevant data input, liaising with external agents and counsel;
Review and approve new or renovated packaging and/or advertising and marketing materials.
Where necessary, assist Diageo’s internal IP Counsel and external law firms with litigation involving Diageo’s IP rights.
Top Accountabilities:
Enabling achievement of Performance Ambition
Help #clearthepath through the provision of pro-active and fit for purpose legal management and support in relation to the protection, enforcement and exploitation of Diageo’s IP assets in a range of markets.
Drive out costs to invest in growth
Deliver the above in the most cost-effective way and in accordance with the Diageo IP mindsets and protocols and identify opportunities to reduce end-to-end legal costs by optimizing use of internal and external legal resources.
Reputation Management
Be an ambassador for driving achievement of our Performance Ambition outcome of exemplary conduct.
Qualifications and Experience Required:
A law degree is advantageous but not required; a solid foundation of IP required, with a minimum of 12-18 months prior experience.
Law firm or in-house experience with large or complicated multi-jurisdiction trade mark portfolios
A good working knowledge of trade mark law and practice.
Experience with contested IP proceedings is advantageous.
Working knowledge of copyright, patent and trade secret protection and other related areas is also advantageous.
Developed computer skills, including on-line trade mark clearance searching, trade mark maintenance database software (Anaqua preferred), word processing, and Excel.
Key Functional capabilities:
Specialist IP experience
Professional and Interpersonal Skills
Excellent analytical, good commercial and pragmatic approach - applies knowledge of the law and understanding of the business, with proven ability to generate respect from both the business and colleagues for judgement, approach and commitment.
Excellent interpersonal/communication skills; experience of effective engagement with business partners, always creating a good impression and being approachable; viewed as a reference point.
Management Capabilities
Excellent professionalism, commitment and integrity.
Confident in and sensitive to different cultures and a passion for Diageo’s success.
Consistently Delivering Great Performance
Demonstrates deep personal accountability for great performance, stays focussed on commercial priorities and critical business agenda.
Knowing and being responsive to external influences on the business and knowing when and where to provide input/stand ground.
Working with Us
Flexibility is key to success in our business and many of our staff work flexibly in many different ways, including part-time, compressed hours, flexible location. Please talk to us about what flexibility means to you and don’t let anything stop you from applying.
Join us and you can also expect a highly competitive and flexible rewards and benefits package.
Celebrating our inclusive and diverse culture is core to Diageo’s purpose of “celebrating life every day everywhere”. This purpose is, in itself, inclusive in nature, as it values everybody irrespective of background, disability, religion, gender identity, sexuality or ethnicity.
We know that for our business to thrive and for Diageo to realize its ambition, we depend on having diverse talent with a range of backgrounds, skills and capabilities in each of the 180 countries in which we operate and to reflect our broad consumer base. We view diversity as one of the key enablers that helps our business to grow and our values, purpose and standards set the conditions for us to respect the unique contribution each person brings.
About Us
From Arthur Guinness to Johnnie Walker, our business was founded on people of great character and in 250 years, nothing’s changed. We’re the world’s leading premium alcohol company. Our brands are industry icons. And our success is thanks to the strength of our people, in every role. It’s why we trust them with our legacy. And it’s why we reward them with the career-defining opportunities that they deserve.
Our ambition is to create the best performing, most trusted and respected Consumer Products Company in the world. To achieve these, we need the world’s very best people.
We're looking for people with creativity, boldness and a sense of purpose to take Diageo and our timeless, pioneering brands to the next level!
Feel inspired?
Then this may be the opportunity for you!
Worker Type :
Regular
Primary Location:
1HQ
Additional Locations :
Job Posting Start Date :
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