Intellectual Property Senior Associate

Award-Winning Full-Service Firm | Intellectual Property Senior Associate | 5+ Years PQE

This is intellectual property law at its sharpest: brand protection, trade mark litigation, passing off, copyright, and design right disputes for clients who make their names in sport, fashion, and consumer brands. If you want your work to be seen, talked about, and argued in courtrooms that matter, this is the seat.

The Firm
A top-100, full-service practice with deep northern roots and a thriving London presence, it has built its reputation on straight-talking, commercially sharp advice. It is consistently recognised by Legal 500 and Chambers, regularly picks up industry awards, and prides itself on doing the right thing by its clients and its people.

Teams are collaborative, supportive, and enjoyable to work in. The firm invests in people, encourages new ideas, and gives lawyers the space to build their own profiles and practices. It is ambitious but grounded, professional but personable.

The Team
The IP practice is on a clear growth trajectory. With a recent senior leadership appointment and a strategy built around high-quality contentious work, the team is making a deliberate push into brand-heavy disputes. It acts for household names in sport, fashion, and retail, handling trade mark and passing off claims, copyright and design right litigation, and patent disputes. The work is varied, visible, and often high-profile.

The team operates across Manchester and London, and it is as down-to-earth as it is technically sharp. Partners are hands-on, associates are given real responsibility, and there is a palpable sense of energy and ambition about the direction of the practice.

The Role
This is a different kind of senior associate role. Yes, you will manage your own disputes, supervise juniors, and drive matters forward. But you will also be part of a team that is actively building something: shaping the practice, deepening client relationships, and raising the team's profile in the market. You will work directly alongside two partners and a talented group of associates, with daily exposure to intellectually demanding, commercially important work.

You will take ownership of IP disputes from start to finish. You will advise on strategy, draft pleadings, attend hearings, and negotiate settlements. You will help develop junior lawyers, contribute to business development, and have the freedom to pursue your own ideas. If you have a budding client following, so much the better, but what really matters is appetite, ambition, and a true interest in building a practice, not just running files.

Who We're Looking For
You are a qualified solicitor with at least five years in intellectual property, comfortable with the full lifecycle of IP disputes. Trade marks, passing off, copyright, designs: you know these inside out.

You enjoy client contact. You can explain complex points clearly, build trust, and spot opportunities. You are organised, detail-oriented, and calm under pressure. But equally important, you are someone who brings energy and ideas to a team. You like working with people who are good at what they do and enjoy doing it. Personality counts here. This is a team with a lively, down-to-earth culture, and they are looking for someone who will add to it, not just fit in.

What's on Offer

• High-quality, often high-profile IP disputes for clients in sport, fashion, and consumer brands

• A genuine opportunity to shape and grow a practice, with partner-level support and a clear development path

• A team culture that is ambitious, collaborative, and genuinely enjoyable to be part of

• Flexible and hybrid working, competitive salary, and a full benefits package

• Real investment in your career, including support for professional networks, BD, and profile-raising

This is a role for someone who wants more than the next rung on the ladder. It is for someone who wants to make their mark.

Apply now for immediate consideration.