(Senior) Associate Intellectual Property

Join our IT, IP & Data team in Brussels: an exciting opportunity for a technically strong IP lawyer (4-8 years' experience) to make a real impact in a fast-growing, internationally connected practice.

Osborne Clarke is an award-winning international legal practice that has grown rapidly over the past few years and now spans 26 offices around the world. Our Brussels office was established over 13 years ago and has since grown into a full-service law firm of around 40 qualified lawyers, serving market leaders, challenger brands and fast-growth businesses across industries and borders.

Our mission is clear: to advise and advance the businesses of tomorrow. To be a firm that clients depend on for strategic counsel and to navigate complexity. To spot opportunities and fend off threats. To move faster than competitors and challengers. We foster a culture where high performance and heart sit side by side, where people feel connected, supported and challenged, and where talent thrives and the firm does too.

We are investing in technology and AI-enabled tools to deliver high-value, strategic work with a future-focused mindset.

Our three flagship sectors all thrive on innovation: Life Sciences & Healthcare, Technology, Media & Telecommunications and Energy & Energy Transition.

The Brussels IT, IP & Data team sits at the heart of this ambition: helping clients protect, manage and maximise the value of their innovations and data across borders. Clients value our combination of sector insight, legal excellence and a human, collaborative culture.

Our IP practice focuses on complex, high-value intellectual property and trade secrets matters, with a particular emphasis on cutting-edge technologies and international work.

We have a strong sector focus on life sciences and healthcare and work for a great variety of clients, ranging from start-ups and scale-ups to multinational groups, helping them structure, protect and monetise their technology throughout the innovation lifecycle.

We are looking for an Associate or Senior Associate with a solid foundation in IP law to join and grow with our internationally connected practice.

In this role, you will be central to our patents and trade secrets offering, acting both as counsel and litigator.

You will have the opportunity to handle patent disputes before the courts, advise on R&D collaborations and agreements, conduct trade secrets audits, and support clients in negotiating technology transfer and other IP transactions, including in an Asian context. You will also be involved in trade mark and design work (advisory, contractual and contentious), working closely with innovative businesses across a range of industries, with a particular focus on life sciences, healthcare and technology-driven companies.

The role also offers the opportunity to work on matters where IP, technology and data intersect, alongside our IT and Data colleagues.

You will be part of a truly international firm, working closely with colleagues across our offices on cross-border projects and multi-jurisdictional mandates.

We are looking for someone who:

• Has 4 to 8 years' experience in intellectual property law, gained in a reputable law firm
• Has a strong technical grounding in IP - patent and trade secrets experience is particularly valued, alongside trade mark, design and copyright - and are comfortable handling complex work with autonomy
• Has a genuine interest in innovation-driven sectors; experience or strong affinity with Life Sciences & Healthcare is a clear asset
• Is a native French or Dutch speaker with a very good command of the other national language, and has excellent English
• Holds a Belgian law degree with strong academic results
• Thrives in a small, entrepreneurial team environment, brings an international mindset, and is eager to take responsibility and contribute to practice growth

As part of our team, you will:

• Work directly with Partner Valentin de le Court on high-value patent, trade secrets and broader IP mandates, and with Partner Laurens Dauwe and colleagues across the team on matters at the interface of IP, IT and Data
• Engage in complex, strategic and often cross-border work in our flagship sectors, especially Life Sciences & Healthcare and Tech, Media & Comms
• Take on real responsibility from the outset, with direct client contact and a visible role in a growing IP practice
• Depending on your seniority, have the opportunity to build and shape your own practice, aligned with the strategic direction of the team, the Brussels office and the wider Osborne Clarke network
• Benefit from Osborne Clarke's investment in integrated systems, data and AI-enabled tools, supporting efficient, high-quality service delivery
• Develop in a culture that combines high performance with heart: ambitious, collaborative, inclusive and focused on helping our people and clients succeed in tomorrow's world

Interested? Please send your CV and cover letter by clicking the 'Apply' button. We look forward to hearing from you.