Trainee Patent Attorney – Chemistry (Pharmaceuticals)

Becoming a patent attorney gives you the opportunity to utilise your academic training in an exciting and varied way, working on ground-breaking innovations and inventions in your scientific field.

At Mewburn Ellis, we develop the knowledge and skills of our candidates through an industry-leading training programme in a collegial and supportive atmosphere. ‘Trained for Excellence’ is one of our core values, and demonstrates our forward-thinking and ambitious approach. The structured and focused training programme will enable you to develop your full potential as a patent attorney at the highest level.

The role

In our Munich office, the chemistry team is focused mainly on securing and defending patents for innovators of small molecule pharmaceuticals. You will work on commercially important patent portfolios that protect valuable assets for multinational drug companies. But during your training you will also work closely with patent attorneys and partners working on other technologies in our wider Chemistry Practice Group. There may also be the chance to work on cases with patent attorneys from the life sciences and speciality pharma teams. We take a holistic approach to intellectual property law in our training programmes and beyond.

Our training programme is diverse and varied, sometimes challenging, but always rewarding. You will learn a lot and have the opportunity to apply your specialist knowledge in practice.

Chemistry at Mewburn Ellis

Advances in chemistry are central to cutting-edge technologies in a wide range of industries. As well as examples from the pharmaceutical and chemical sectors chemists today are also developing novel materials that will form the technology of tomorrow in areas as diverse as drug delivery, electronics, aerospace, automotive and medical technology.

Data-driven approaches to chemical innovation, such as QSAR/QSPR or GANs, are transforming how we discover, design or optimise molecules and materials. Intelligent systems help design renewable fuels, recyclable plastics, and targeted drug therapies, to the development of the novel materials that underpin tomorrow’s technologies, the impact is profound.

Whether dyes or pharmaceuticals, catalysts or composites, polymers or pesticides, flavourings or glass fibres - our highly skilled and technically versatile chemistry and materials team covers every aspect. We protect products, processes, or AI/Machine Learning powered discover programmes and the customers we work for are as diverse as the technical fields we cover.

To find out more about our diverse portfolio, our work and what our customers think, click here To learn more about our work in Computational Chemistry or Cheminformatics see here

What you can expect

• A friendly, inclusive and team-orientated working culture
• A mix of office and home working with a paperless office
• A generous remuneration package and training costs covered
• 30 days annual leave (excluding public holidays and additional study days)
• One paid day off per year for charity and fundraising activities
• Job ticket for local public transport
• Company fitness with EGYM Wellpass

We support you in successfully passing your exams and developing your comprehensive skills as a patent attorney. To this end, we offer you internal and external training opportunities as well as continuous support and feedback from experienced partners to accompany your progress. And because we are meritocratic, your career progression is in your own hands.

Mewburn Ellis is a leading European patent law firm with five offices. Today we employ over 360 people across Europe, including about 45 trainee patent attorneys, in Munich, London, Bristol, Manchester and Cambridge.

Our successful growth story is in many ways due to our training and long-term commitment to the wellbeing of our staff. As part of this, we organise a number of informal sporting and social events and run various charity initiatives.

You can also read about our Forward Community Programme on our homepage to find out how we give back to the community, how we are committed to sustainability and how promoting inclusion and diversity is a top priority for us.

About you

You are curious and eager to learn, with excellent communication skills in German and English. General commerciality is an advantage, but prior knowledge of patent law is not required. An excellent academic degree is essential, as well as an open-minded attitude to learning!

If we have piqued your interest, please apply!

We are not only interested in hearing from you if you are a soon-to-be or recent university graduate, but also if you are a chemist who has worked a year or two in the pharmaceutical industry since graduating and have now decided that you would prefer a career in patent law.

As diversity and inclusion are among our core values, we ask for your CV not to include a photo or reference to personal data such as age, marital status, gender etc which are not relevant for your application.

Take a look at our brochure to find out more about our employees and gain an insight into the work of those who do it. We look forward to receiving your application

We’re committed to equal opportunities and welcome a broad diversity of talent to apply.

Application deadline:
Friday, 15 May 2026 at 22:59 (UTC)
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