Trade Mark Paralegal – IP Legal Powerhouse (Barcelona)

Trade Mark Paralegal – IP Legal Powerhouse (Barcelona)

Company Overview :

Unilever is one of the world’s leading fast-moving consumer goods companies. Our products are sold in over 190 countries, and, on any given day, 3.4 billion consumers worldwide use them. We own some of the best known and best loved brands, including Axe, Cif, Comfort, Dermalogica, Dove, Hellmann’s, Horlicks, Lifebouy, Knorr, Paula’s Choice, Persil, TRESemmé and Vaseline.

Our focus in Legal is on high impact strategic business partnering, leveraging and strengthening our legal expertise whilst continuing to expand the powerhouses and focus on digital transformation.

Job Purpose :

The role of Unilever’s Legal Function is to protect Unilever and help it to win by providing objective advice and creative legal solutions. The Legal Function, a global operation consisting of approximately 500 lawyers and specialists, is structured with corporate expertise Leads and General Counsels who head up each of our five Business Groups.

Intellectual Property (IP) is a corporate expertise function under the leadership of Unilever’s Chief Intellectual Property Officer. The Trade Mark Team has global responsibility for all trade mark work and provides expert legal advice, risk management support and creative legal solutions to the business, with a focus on trade mark and copyright law.

The Legal Powerhouse is a team established in 2023 and currently consists of around 80 legal associates and paralegals located across Bangalore, Barcelona and Mexico City. The Powerhouse team is part of the Legal Function and provides defined, structured services to our lawyers and to the broader business.

We are now building an IP expertise hub as part of our Legal Powerhouse in Barcelona and are seeking to recruit a Trade Mark Paralegal who will provide essential support to our (Senior) Trade Mark Counsel on a variety of matters in service of our business partners.

Core Responsibilities :

1. Trade Mark Searches: Conduct trade mark screening searches, analyse search results and prepare initial advice for the (Senior) Trade Mark Counsel.
2. Trade Mark Applications: Prepare trade mark application instructions for the filling and prosecution of trade mark filling projects.
3. Trade Mark Renewals: Support with our annual trade mark renewal cycle, including gathering input from regional legal colleagues.
4. Evidence Collation: Prepare evidence packages of Unilever’s use of our trade marks to support our annual trade mark renewal cycle.
5. Trade Mark Watching: Conduct trade mark watching to identify infringing third party trade mark applications.
6. Trade Mark Enforcement: Assist with trade mark disputes, including drafting pre-action correspondence.
7. Business Partnering: Manage requests from legal colleagues and business partners for trade mark portfolio reports.
8. Trade Mark Recordals: Support with the integration of IP assets resulting from M&A activity.
9. Knowledge Management: Assist with the management of our trade mark precedent bank.
10. Database Management: Assist with the creation and maintenance of matters within our IP case management systems.
11. Other Duties: Support the (Senior) Trade Mark Counsel with general tasks assigned.

About You :

• A completed university degree in law is required.
• Proven experience in trade mark portfolio management.
• Experience with an in-house legal team, preferably within the FMCG sector.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with fluency in English.
• Outstanding analytical skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to prioritise tasks in a fast-paced work environment.
• Exceptional computer skills, especially with Microsoft Office & Copilot.
• Strong sense of teamwork, with an ability to work independently.

Unilever is committed to diversity and inclusion. All our positions are open to individuals with disabilities.