About our practice groups

Experienced hires join one of our three practice groups: we have two patents groups – Chemistry & Life Sciences and IT & Engineering – along with a trade marks group.  We look for high-calibre people who are passionate about what they do, are genuine collaborators who enjoy working with others and believe in openness and respect.

Benefits

Our benefits package is comprehensive.  It’s designed to support all our employees through the different stages of their lives.  No need to pick and mix, everything is available.

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Private healthcare

To provide extra reassurance when you are unwell, you will have quick access to diagnosis and treatment.

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Regular eye tests

And a generous contribution to the cost of your new specs.

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25 days holiday

Plus Bank and public holidays. Pro-rated for part-time employees.

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Contributory pension

We encourage all employees to join our pension scheme and provide guidance for you to make decisions about your investment.

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Bonus scheme

Need we say more!

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Life assurance

If the worst happens, those whom you have nominated will receive will be helped financially.

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Family leave and pay

Enhanced pay for maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental leave.

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Cycle to work scheme

A tax efficient way to buy a bicycle to cycle to work.

Hybrid working

A healthy mix of working in the office and at home, and an allowance for your home office set-up.

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Wellbeing

Mental health first aiders, regular newsletters and events all aimed at keeping you healthy.

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Employee assistance programme

An independent and confidential 24/7 helpline, providing advice on a wide range of matters and counselling.

We have a clear career path for all our patent and trade mark attorneys, which is tailored to you individually.  We will help you to play to your strengths and develop experience in areas that interest you, which will add value to the business and help us all to build upon its success.  We recognise that not everyone has the same aspirations and even those who do may well have different routes to the end goal. So, whether you are natural at bringing in new business, have a passion for mentoring less experienced colleagues, or you prefer the nuts and bolts of what being a patent attorney is all about, you are likely to find a place at GJE.

Our approach is to provide attorneys with broad-ranging experience. This will give you the opportunity to try new things and work out for yourself what interests you, what you are good at and where you want your career path to lead.  You will have lots of support to take on real responsibility and help you achieve your career goals.

We look for high-calibre people who are passionate about what they do and are genuine collaborators who enjoy working with others and believe in openness and respect.

At the core of our learning environment is the coaching and on-the-job support that you can expect from our partners and senior members of staff.  This is supplemented by relevant formal tuition which ensures that you have the relevant skills to deliver the quality of service our clients have come to expect of GJE.

GJE offices

Frequently asked questions

I can’t see a role that suits my experience, can I apply speculatively?

Our current vacancies are advertised on our website and you opt to be notified of new vacancies by creating an account in our recruitment portal. To do this, click “read more” on any advertised vacancy on our website. This will take you to our recruitment portal where you will be able to create an account.

Who will I be working with?

You will be assigned a partner as a line manager. They will support you in your career development as well as with day-to-day supervision. You will receive work from partners across your practice group, meaning that you will gain the benefit of input from multiple perspectives and you will also have every opportunity to raise your profile within the firm. We have a strong reputation as a training firm and what better way to get a balanced view of the profession than by working with a range of people. As you gain in experience, you will be given the opportunity to pass your knowledge and experience on to your more junior colleagues.

Where will the interviews take place?

If you are comfortable travelling to the London office and are able to do so, we would love to meet you in person. There is no expectation that you should come to the London office and we are fully set up to conduct interviews remotely. Our aim is to be flexible and for our candidates to be as comfortable as possible during these unprecedented times whilst interviewing with us.

What is the path to partnership?

We have a clear path to partnership, which you can see in our timeline on the Graduates page. We are clear about the qualifications and skills you will need to progress from one stage to the next and your line manager will have regular discussions with you about your career development.

I haven’t finished my exams, what study support do you provide?

We will pay for courses aimed at preparing you for your exams and provide you with the books you need. We provide paid study leave for you to the attend courses and examinations, and give you some independent study time. Our on-the-job training will go a long way to prepare you for these exams, along with internal seminars from our qualified associates to help in your studies.

How about the social side?

We have a social committee which organise events throughout the year; be it bowling on Brick Lane, treasure hunts around Shoreditch, or the classic party in the lounge, we try to get the whole firm together as often as possible. There are always people willing to go for a hard-earned drink on a Friday and there is, of course, the longstanding curry night. We also have a hectic inter-firm softball schedule each summer.

What type of work can I be expecting to do?

At GJE, all our trainees and qualified attorneys are exposed to a broad range of work. You can expect to be working extensively with some of our many direct clients, who range from start-ups to multinationals. As well as managing and prosecuting global portfolios, you will be involved extensively in the drafting of new patent applications. You will be encouraged to forge your own relationships with clients and we will help you to develop the client care skills and commercial understanding which are essential to the way we do things here at GJE. Many of our clients are regularly attacking or defending patents before the EPO and we often deal with local infringement matters, so there are also plenty of opportunities for you to get directly involved in contentious matters.

Can I work from home?

We have introduced hybrid working, enabling all of our employees to benefit from a mix of working from home and in the office. We believe this gives us the best of both worlds, allowing us face-to-face time with our colleagues, whilst maintaining our wellbeing and balance in our lives.

What wellbeing support do you provide?

Your wellbeing is important to us and as such we have a variety of initiatives in place for all our employees covering the four key wellbeing areas: physical, mental, financial and social. Our initiatives include mental health first aiders, wellness actions plans and confidential advice and counselling.

What else can I expect to be doing?

There are plenty of opportunities to get involved in internal projects; be it working on operational projects, getting involved with our social committee, or helping out with recruitment. We also encourage all of our trainees and attorneys to get involved in business development; there are plenty of opportunities to represent the firm at events and conferences, write articles on the latest developments in IP, as well as work on specific projects.

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