Patent Counsel - Patent Litigation

at  British American Tobacco

EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

• UK qualified solicitor or equivalent qualification from another Common Law or EU jurisdiction;
• Proven experience of managing strategic multi-jurisdictional patent litigation matters, ideally worldwide;
• Commercially astute, ideally with an understanding of FMCG businesses, and proven ability to understand and support strategic aims and to translate these into effective solutions;
• Proven ability to manage and lead a team including external lawyers and patent attorneys;

TECHNICAL / FUNCTIONAL SKILLS REQUIRED

• Ability to undertake high level strategic analysis of complex legal and business issues in line with overall business strategy;
• Detailed knowledge and practical experience of patent law and litigation in key markets (at least Europe, and ideally also US, and Japan);
• Ability to understand technical patent applications involving mechanics, physics and chemistry, and lead discussions with scientists;
• Skilled in engaging and communicating in a simple, clear and coherent manner;
• Excellent interpersonal skills, sound judgement, good decision making and the ability to inform and influence at all levels both internally and externally;
• Ability to draft settlement agreements and licenses and assess IP clauses in other commercial agreements, with considerable attention to detail, accuracy and consequences;
• Ability to manage resources and budgets in line with set requirements;
• Ability to manage priorities and meet commitments with a track record of successfully completing projects;
• Solid collaboration and team working skills;

EDUCATION / QUALIFICATIONS / CERTIFICATIONS REQUIRED

• Qualified lawyer with at least 5 years’ post qualification experience managing multi-jurisdictional strategic patent litigation matters.

WHAT ARE THE KEY OBJECTIVES AND EXPECTATIONS FROM THIS ROLE?

Providing counsel and materials to enable the Senior Counsel, Patent Litigation to support and execute Group Patent legal strategy to inform business decisions and maximise commercial opportunities, whilst ensuring legal compliance and mitigating business risk.
In alignment with Senior Counsel, Patent Litigation, advise and manage global strategic patent litigation brought by or against the Group and to develop and implement effective patent litigation strategies (defensive and offensive) to maximise competitive advantage.

As a member of the BAT Group Patents team, you will be expected to contribute to and execute all aspects of the work in a manner which:

• provides a value-added service to central management functions and relevant Business Units; and
• delivers high quality, solution-orientated advice on all aspects of work.

WHAT YOU WILL BE ACCOUNTABLE FOR:

• Coordinating litigation efforts with (a) external law firms world-wide (b) external patent attorney firms and (c) the business end-markets involved, to ensure :
• consistency of approach in litigation strategies;
• efficiency of effort in litigation preparation; and
• avoidance of duplication of effort.
• Providing commercially focussed updates and advice on key patent litigation issues in a straightforward and compelling way, enabling the business to deliver results whilst managing legal risk.
• Developing and managing relationships with key external IP service providers to ensure high quality, efficient and value for money service, seeking efficiencies and opportunities for standardisation where possible.
• Willingness to apply skill set to other areas within the Patents team as required in response to demand e.g., M&A, FTO and licensing/BTV activities to help build effective defence strategies as part of Patent Chess.
• Cultivating a network of collaborative relationships at all levels within BAT which are based on mutual trust to ensure the best outcome for BAT as whole, and contributing to the education of colleagues outside of the patent group on patent matters.
• Promoting a risk management and compliance culture ensuring consistency in application of IP policies and procedures on a global level within BAT.

At BAT we are committed to our Purpose of creating A Better Tomorrow. This is what drives our people and our passion for innovation. See what is possible for you at BAT.

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