Graduate

Careers

Graduate training is core to our firm

Mewburn Ellis is one of Europe’s leading IP firms, ranked top tier we are a firm synonymous with quality and technical excellence. Graduate training is at the heart of our firm and something we have invested a lot of time and energy into. We are renowned for our patent and trade mark training programme and offer a professional education in conjunction with hands-on practical experience.  This includes the opportunity to work with diverse and exciting clients at the forefront of innovation in a supportive and relaxed environment.

We currently have about 50 trainees at the firm and this number is growing as the firm gears up to meet our ambitious growth strategy.

We are always looking for people with an active mind and a desire to develop new skills so if you’re ambitious, committed, forward-looking and enjoy a challenge, join us on our mission to be recognised as the premium full-service European IP firm. In exchange we promise you a stimulating and rewarding career, cutting edge work and a chance to be part of our growth story.

Download our graduate recruitment brochure to get an idea of what it's like to work as a Patent or Trade Mark Attorney at Mewburn Ellis. We've tried to give a feel for what the day-to-day work involves – including both the good bits and the bad bits!

Trainee Attorney roles now closed - New roles to open next Autumn

What we look for

 

Patents

If you possess a curious, enquiring mind, a strong academic background and excellent communication skills, especially in writing that’s a great start. A STEM degree is essential and general commercial awareness is also valuable but no prior knowledge of patent law is needed.

 

Your application

We are proud to use Rare Recruitment's Contextual Recruitment System (CRS) which allows us to consider your achievements in the context in which they were gained. We understand that not every candidate’s achievements look the same on paper – and we want to recruit the best people, from every background. So after sending through your application, we will send you a link to complete a short questionnaire (takes around 5 minutes) so you can provide the context for your achievements.

 

What to do next

Research and prepare for your future application. Check that the profession is the right one for you by looking over our careers pages, our films, and take some time to look at our brochure.

Keep an eye on this page for all new vacancies, will go live in September 2025.

 

Our firm

 

Our values

Find out more about why sustainability and community is so important to our firm

 

See our other films here.

UK Assessment Timeline

Typically our recruitment process takes 6-7 weeks but this can fluctuate depending on volumes.

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Offers of training places are sent out as soon as suitable candidates emerge. As the number of training places are limited, applications should be submitted as soon as the vacancy becomes ‘live’. Each year, new trainees (in both Patents and Trade Marks) generally start work in mid-September or earlier.

 

Why train with Mewburn Ellis

Considering IP is at the cutting edge of innovation, IP firms can often be slow-moving and internally focussed. Mewburn Ellis isn’t that way, we are and always have been forward-looking. We recently celebrated our 150th anniversary, and when you look back over that time you will see that we have a history of embracing change, thinking ahead and anticipating challenges and opportunities both for our clients and for our own business.

We work hard to maintain a collaborative atmosphere and friendly feel that is often only found in smaller firms. We are team players and respect each other’s opinions and are professional but relaxed. We expect you to work hard and perform, but not without encouragement and investment from us.

We promote a flexible, cross-office approach to working, so we’re one firm where everyone knows everyone else. This is further cemented by our commitment to the training and development of our people. Many of the partners trained here and most have worked in all our offices. This has created a supportive, informal environment and a true sense that everyone works together and can contribute to the success of the firm.

We are keen to attract, train and retain the best people. So Mewburn Ellis supports diversity throughout the business and makes every effort to create and maintain an inclusive culture. We also recognise that we have a responsibility to ensure our business has a positive impact on the people, communities and environment around us. We are currently developing our Forward Community Programme which reflects our core values and is an integral part of our firm.

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Our graduate brochures

Our guides are intended to give you an idea of what it is like to work in intellectual property at Mewburn Ellis. We have tried to give a feel for what the day-to-day work involves – including both the good bits and the bad bits! We are sure you would prefer the real picture before you invest your time and energy in applying for a career in which you will probably spend many years. Read further and you will realise that this is both a stimulating and rewarding profession, ideally suiting someone with an active mind and a desire to develop new skills.