Our annual recruitment drive starts at the end of October and is normally finished by the beginning of March. The advice is to apply early if at all possible. However we welcome applications at any time during the year, and often have vacancies.

Applications should be made on our application form and accompanied by a copy of your CV and also the pieces of work outlined below. The form can be accessed by clicking here. Please print off the form and return with your CV and pieces of work to:

The Recruitment Partner
Mewburn Ellis LLP
22-24 Queen Square
Bristol BS1 4ND

Please note that in order to read our application form you need to have the Adobe Acrobat reader installed on your computer. If you are unable to access the form, you can obtain a copy by contacting the Recruitment Partner at Mewburn Ellis LLP at the address above, on 0117 945 1234, or by e-mailing: graduate.recruitment@mewburn.com.

Post your work with the completed application form and your CV to the above address. Please do not send your application online. However, since we prefer to use e-mail to arrange interviews, do provide an active (and accurate!) e-mail address so that we can contact you.

Patent Applications

To accompany the form we require the following work:

1. A short (no more than 600 words) description of a kitchen implement (and not an electrical appliance such as a toaster or microwave) which explains what the implement does, how it is constructed and works and any clever features it has; and
2. A single sentence which defines the essential features of a pair of scissors and which distinguishes scissors from a pair of cutting pliers (for example, one might define a "door" as a cover which is positioned by an opening in a wall and which can be moved to vary the extent to which it blocks the opening).

Trade Mark Applications

To accompany the form, we require the following work:

Imagine you are about to launch a new drink. Select a trade mark for it and explain in around 500 words why you have selected it.

The Next Step

Those who are invited for interview are given the opportunity to discuss their CV, and scientific achievements where appropriate, as well as to ask their own questions about the job. They are also asked to do some more oral and written descriptive exercises. A second interview is held for candidates who are put forward from the first round.

Offers of training places are sent out as soon as suitable candidates emerge. As the number of training places is limited, application forms should ideally be submitted between November and Easter. However, we will consider applications outside the normal recruitment season, but this is dependent on the availability of training places.

Each year, new trainees generally start work in late September. The first week is taken up with an induction course, which we hope helps a new trainee to acclimatise to the Mewburn Ellis working environment.

Once you have completed your application, please use the checklist below to ensure that you understand what will be required of you, and have prepared all the work we need to be able to give you the best possible chance of success in applying to us.

1. Have you read all of our Graduate Recruitment section?
2. In particular, do you understand the way we rotate our trainees around our offices (see Training and Trainee Movements)?
3. Is your application form fully completed?
4. Have you enclosed your CV?
5. Have you completed and enclosed both pieces of work (for applicants for Patent Trainee positions) or the single piece of work (for applicants for Trade Mark Trainee positions)?
6. Have you supplied us with an up to date e-mail address?

Please be aware that we do receive a large number of applications, to all of which we give our full consideration, and it is therefore not always possible to reply to you as quickly as we might like. Be assured that we will respond as soon as we can but, particularly at peak recruitment times, this may take at least a month.