Finnegan is a specialised IP law firm, so whether your focus is the UK, the EU, or the world, you’ll be at the center of the IP conversation. You’ll work on leading edge matters, with European and global clients who turn to us for a distinctive, consultative approach. You’ll take your place among a global team that includes nearly 300 professionals with scientific degrees. In addition to supporting global clients on European IP matters, you’ll work in tandem with more than 40 U.S.-based Finnegan attorneys who represent European companies on U.S. IP law issues, and you’ll collaborate with peer attorneys, technical specialists, and professional support staff in a culture that cultivates relationships, teamwork, and respect.
"Global IP Firm of the Year"
— Managing Intellectual Property, 2016
As a Finnegan attorney, know that you’ll be at a firm with a powerful global track record of defending and advocating for the innovation of clients. It’s why Managing Intellectual Property named Finnegan its 2016 “Global IP Firm of the Year.” For Finnegan, global IP law is more than a zero-sum game of winners and losers. Innovation and rulings have multidimensional implications, and clients regularly turn to us for guidance as they navigate new or shifting IP terrain – in the UK, EU, United States, and Asia. If you work here, you’ll come to understand why clients have come to praise the consultative relationships we have built with them, wherever their global IP interests take them.
Finnegan is about people. We cultivate respect for the contributions of every team member, and treat every person with genuine care, regardless of title or function. Our professionals are multilingual and multicultural and hail from locations ranging from Romania to Pennsylvania to Colombia to Taiwan. Find out why many Finnegan professionals spend their entire career here.
As you lay the foundation for your career, know that Finnegan attorneys serve clients through 10 major IP practice areas and many additional sub-practices. We also follow innovation, with specialist teams focused on the 20 industries that currently generate the bulk of global IP activity.
As a Finnegan attorney in Europe, London and Munich are centers for active practices at the European Patent Office (EPO), UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO), the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA), German and UK Courts, and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Outside of Europe, Finnegan attorneys work in our Washington, DC headquarters, or one of our other offices in the United States and Asia, all located in hubs of innovation or high IP law activity.
"They get all the nuances of IP – global, EU and national legal systems."
— Finnegan client
As a trainee or associate in Finnegan’s offices in London or Munich, you’ll discover that continuous training and professional development remain a vital part of your career, and our culture. You’ll receive all the resources and training you need to assist you in becoming an exceptional attorney providing superior service to our clients. In addition to in-house roundtable programs, ad hoc meetings about updates to changes in IP law, and monthly practice group and section meetings, Finnegan offers the following formal training programs:
Finnegan has a robust training curriculum (L.E.A.P.: Learn, Enrich, Achieve, Progress), designed to support the continued growth and development of attorneys at all levels and allowing them to practice law in ever-evolving legal and business markets. Finnegan believes that training and ongoing education are essential to developing the best attorneys and advocates for our clients. With multiple training and education components, L.E.A.P. is designed to enhance the firm’s existing training and mentoring activities throughout the year.
The L.E.A.P. calendar includes: litigation training, advanced legal writing, advanced patent prosecution, practice before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), advanced technical and legal research, business development training and individualized coaching, billing and timekeeping, budget development, accounting for lawyers, persuasive speaking, law firm economics, presentation skills, leadership,
Training is a lifelong venture at Finnegan, as demonstrated by our comprehensive new partner training series. New partners are paired with a share partner advisor, whose charge is to meet regularly with the new partner to discuss workload and business and career development, and to serve as a sounding board and advocate as the new partner progresses to equity partner consideration. The training curriculum includes topics such as: Leadership Development (new partners learn the fundamental tenets of leadership during immersion and capstone training programs and are paired with a leadership/executive coach who works with the new partner one-on-one for a year); Budgets and Finances; Advanced Pitch Workshops; How to Prepare Your Compensation Memo; and roundtables with members of the management committee, share partner advisors, and practice group leaders (designed to arm new partners with best practices for navigating the nuances of partnership).
For those new to patent prosecution, Finnegan offers a “nuts-and-bolts” introduction to the practice of patent prosecution. Each session of the training covers the laws, rules, and procedures of patent prosecution.
Persuasive, precise, and compelling writing is something we strive for at Finnegan. Our writer-in-residence hones the legal writing skills of our attorneys through classroom teaching and one-on-one writing consultations. Sample classroom topics include brief writing, writing as an advocate, advanced legal writing, and writing as a non-native English speaker.
Finnegan conducts business-development training and coaching for senior associates seeking to improve their practices and attract clients. The six-month program includes a preliminary assessment; group training sessions; individual coaching sessions; and related business development and marketing activities.
Training begins as soon as associates join the firm. All new legal professionals participate in two weeks of training and orientation to familiarize them with Finnegan procedures and support resources. Every fall, all new associates visit our Washington office for Take the First LEAP, an intensive series of programs designed to give new associates a solid foundation in the fundamentals of intellectual property law as they begin their careers as attorneys.
On the job training occurs through Finnegan’s ‘Second Attorney Review’ policy. No work product—not even routine correspondence—leaves the firm until at least two attorneys have reviewed it for format and substance. This one-on-one training under the guidance of supervisory attorneys is one of the best ways to develop our attorneys’ legal skills and ensure the highest quality of every aspect of our work.
While we are fortunate to have many talented professionals in-house who are committed to training and coaching our attorneys, the firm also encourages our attorneys to attend outside professional meetings and educational seminars in order to enhance their legal skills.
In Finnegan’s London office, we are committed to providing the best possible benefit plans to meet the ever-changing needs of our employees, and offer competitive pay and attractive benefits to reward performance and talent.
The firm maintains a flexible, non-departmental structure, encouraging a meritocratic and collegiate approach. This fosters an open, collaborative atmosphere and a transparent and friendly work culture. You’ll be a member of a practice group based on your technical or legal background. One of the primary responsibilities of a practice group is to monitor the professional development of its members.
In the London office, you will be given the opportunity to work on a full range of patent matters, from drafting and prosecution through to oppositions and appeals, as well as providing strategic counseling to our international client base. The firm as a whole has a long-standing philosophy against "pigeonholing" attorneys into areas of practice. That means you’ll get to choose your own career goals and the paths you’ll take to achieve them.
Our minimum billable requirement is 1,300 hours per year. There is no "informal" billing requirement for advancement toward partnership.
Shadowing Program
Finnegan recognizes that on-the-job training is critical for the development of associates, student associates, and technical specialists. To encourage this crucial experiential learning, associates, student associates, and technical specialists may receive billable credit for approved shadowing opportunities.
When you join the firm, you are assigned a partner advisor. Your partner advisor provides formal performance evaluations twice a year and counsels you regarding your professional development. Your partner advisor, the London office manager, and the recruitment team will introduce you to others in the firm, answer your questions, and help smooth your transition into the firm.
You may find that personal responsibilities and interests necessitate requesting a work arrangement that reduces the amount of time devoted to practicing law. We do our best to provide opportunities for both men and women who request alternative work arrangements. Attorneys in alternative work arrangements are eligible for and continue to progress toward partnership.
Our day-to-day dress in the London office is formal business attire.
Finnegan is one of the leading companies in any field when it comes to the recruitment and retention of a diverse workforce. When you meet with us, you will quickly realize that Finnegan values diversity. For more information about our diversity and inclusion efforts, please click here.
Our retention rate ranks among the highest for firms of our size. It’s worth noting that many Finnegan attorneys have spent their entire career here, and that our current managing partner first entered the firm through the Student Associate program.
Attorneys who are billing and otherwise performing beyond the firm’s expectations are eligible for productivity and discretionary merit bonuses.
Pro bono work is an important part of Finnegan’s commitment to social responsibility. We also believe giving back is an opportunity to receive knowledge, experience, and the good feeling one gets from helping others. As a full-time attorney at Finnegan, pro bono work is credited toward your billable hours goal. If you choose more involved pro bono work such as litigation, the additional hours are rewarded and credited toward merit bonuses.
If you’re interested in what we have to offer, know that we set a high bar. Also know that those who join us tend to stay for a very long time.
London:
Please mail or e-mail a cover letter and CV to:
Angela McShane
London Office Manager
Finnegan Europe LLP
Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP
1 London Bridge, SE1 9BG, United Kingdom
angela.mcshane@finnegan.com
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