Trademark Paralegal - Cairo
The Role
Provide administrative support to the trade marks professional team, particularly to allocated lawyers and to ensure they are fully supported in trade marks and administrative functions.
Key Responsibilities
Trademarks
- Client-facing role: taking instructions, acknowledging receipt and arranging for the opening of matters and onboarding new clients.
- Advising client on standard costs and document requirements; reporting filing, acceptance, publication and registration of trade marks to client.
- Preparing and assisting clients with Powers of Attorney, translations and other supporting documents.
- Instructing and liaising with local agents in multiple jurisdictions.
- Sending reminders and follow-up letters to agents and clients.
- Reviewing agent invoices against cost estimates received from the local agents.
- Assisting attorneys with first review of draft client invoices.
- Assisting attorneys by drafting filing strategies, specifications, considering adverse examination reports from various trade mark offices or foreign agents, preparing draft advice to clients.
- Assisting attorneys by drafting submissions in Arabic to the trade mark offices or to agents.
- Assisting attorneys with drafting search reports.
- Assisting attorneys with the preparation and drafting of notices of opposition and counter statements.
- Preparing draft Deeds of Assignment and dealing with recording assignments, licenses and changes of name and address with the trade mark offices.
- Updating records; managing deadlines and reminders; prioritising work according to timelines, suggesting solutions, managing communication with clients, agents and trade mark offices.
- Compiling documents and evidence to attach to declarations or affidavits ensuring that exhibits accurately reflect the corresponding statements in the affidavit or declaration and that the documents are finalised ready for execution.
- Working with the IP Administrator team to ensure that instructions from attorneys to file, renew or otherwise deal with trade marks are carried out accurately and within the required timeframe.
- Managing conflict checks and the file opening process for new matters to ensure that our procedures are followed.
- Support the attorneys in general matter administration including file organisation, saving correspondence to the matter, management of trademark portfolios, dealing with invoicing queries, monitoring of deadlines, drafting of letters, assistance with client administration and liaison with other teams such as finance, translation or corporate services.
Essential Skills & Experience
The ideal applicant will:
- Be educated to at least diploma level; a trade mark paralegal qualification desirable;
- Have at least two years experience working in trade marks;
- Be fluent in written and spoken English and Arabic;
- Be team oriented and able to work autonomously;
- Have strong attention to detail and good organisation skills; and
- Be commercially aware and able to take a practical approach to matters.
