Litigation Support Manager

Consistently ranked in the top tier in all major directories, the patent litigation practice combines technical
expertise covering all the major scientific and engineering disciplines, with an unrivalled depth and
breadth of litigation experience.

Comprising 12 partners, around 30 other UK qualified lawyers, and a further 20 fee-earners, the patent
litigation team is probably the largest dedicated patent litigation group in the UK. We also work regularly
with other groups within Bristows, notably the life sciences regulatory group and the competition group
across a range of issues from life sciences to telecoms, for example in relation to Standard Essential
Patent disputes.

We deal with all types of patent disputes, including infringement and validity cases, entitlement
(ownership) disputes, SPCs, employee compensation, exhaustion of rights, and threats of patent
infringement. We are regularly the leading firm in respect of case numbers before the English Patents
Court and are increasingly active in the UPC. Many of our cases are international in nature, often
requiring the coordination of litigation outside the UK. The team also deals, often in conjunction with
colleagues in the commercial & technology disputes group, with licensing disputes which may involve
arbitration or other forms of alternative dispute resolution.

The role

We are looking for a candidate with a proven track record in litigation support (including patent litigation)
to join the team. Alongside receiving support where needed from the wider patent litigation team, from
paralegals and PAs to partners, the role of the Litigation Support Manager outlined below will be
supported by a dedicated, full-time Litigation Support Assistant.

1. Patent Litigation Project Management

Initially the main function of the role will be to provide comprehensive administration
management support to the patent litigation team on their largest cases. This will include:

• Project management of the largest litigation cases to ensure the court timetables are set,

communicated and all deadlines met


• Primary point of liaison for:


o the court on filings and listings for the key cases,
• Assisting with costs budgeting process and keeping costs to schedule, reporting on these as

necessary


• Assisting in drafting inter-solicitor correspondence where appropriate



• Overview of the management of disclosure and disclosure reports (including supporting

technology)


• Co-ordinating the activities of the trainees, paralegals and associates assigned to the case, in

respect of:

o Necessary procedural steps

o Court filings

o Document management, including e-bundles and trial bundles


• Reporting internally on case progress


2. Professional support and knowledge management

Assisting with the management of the firmwide litigation know-how groups, including:


• Providing internal advice on procedural law



• Monitoring and communicating legislative changes (e.g. changes to the CPR) and updating

policies and precedents as necessary


• Oversight of cause list searches, claim form searches, monitoring the court diary and any

associated requests for documents


• Assisting with management of Bristows' ongoing contributions, for example to EPLaw Blog, CIPA,

Kluwer Blog and our Irides weekly update newsletter


• Responsibility for the training and coaching of paralegals, trainees, other staff and partners as

required in all litigation processes and associated document management standards


• Preparation of data for marketing materials and liaising with Marketing & Business Development

functions


• Providing support and oversight of internal resources relating to UP and UPC.


3. Day to day management and supervision of a flexible paralegal resource + Litigation Support
Assistant (LSA)

Overseeing the day-to-day management of the paralegal team, including:


• Oversight of resource allocation and training of paralegals, providing supervision support to LSA



• Assisting with the recruitment of new staff


Our values & culture

With around 300 staff and partners in total and one UK location, we are able to maintain a friendly
atmosphere where everyone is able to get to know each other and many policies and practices can
operate on a trust basis. We also have much smaller offices in Brussels (opened post-Brexit) and Dublin
(opened to coincide with the UPC)., We are based in modern offices at Blackfriars and very much value face to face collaboration and the social
element of working relationships. We have introduced a Remote Working Policy which enables staff to work
in an agile way - we do not monitor attendance but simply ask that everyone spends on average across the
year more time in the office than out of it - typically three days a week for a full time employee.

Our firm values, which we very much "live", are Ambition, Bravery, Curiosity and Friendliness. These
underpin all that we do across both our client work and our internal strategic decision making. We are
signatories to the Mindful Business Charter and take our commitment to staff welfare and work life
balance very seriously.

None of our lawyers have billing targets which means we can focus on doing the best for our clients while
also having the time and capacity to assist each other in a genuinely collaborative working culture. No one
is competing for hours and everyone knows they can enjoy downtime when it arrives.

Training & career progression

We aim to have a coaching culture with regular informal feedback to supplement the formal appraisal
process. Mentoring schemes are available for fee earners while members of the HR team can provide
personal coaching and guidance in non-legal and personal management skills.

Personal and professional development is much valued at all levels so we have a generous budget which
enables us to meet most ad hoc requests for additional training.

Reward & benefits

Our salary and bonus structure reflects our lack of billing targets and collaborative culture and any bonus
is paid as a simple percentage bonus across the whole firm. We have a flexible benefits package that is
kept under regular review and is designed with the wellbeing of our staff and their families.

Diversity & inclusion

At Bristows we are committed to championing equality, diversity and inclusion for all, and we are a proud
signatory of the Law Society's Diversity and Inclusion Charter. As a firm, and as individuals, we do all we
can to treat people fairly and with mutual respect. This commitment enriches our work and our working
lives and has played a key part in our success over the years.

We have an active, partner-led Diversity & Inclusion group which runs awareness raising and educational
initiatives in addition to ensuring that our policies and procedures remain inclusive. Our Charities
Committee is equally busy and puts on a range of events from sporting to baking to our Christmas Craft
Shop, all in aid of our Charity of the Year. Our Wellbeing Programme is championed at partner level and
is structured around the pillars of Physical, Mental, Financial and Community wellbeing with an annual
programme of events, educational activities and support.

Bristows is a market leading law firm with a global client base across our core sectors of life sciences
and technology. The firm has maintained its high standing in the market with the exceptional quality of
our lawyers, the strength of our scientific and legal expertise and our unique firm culture driven by our
core values.