Tribunal Hearing Officers

We are recruiting tribunal hearing officers at both standard and senior grades. In addition to the salary, the posts offer a number of benefits including:

• Generous pension scheme with 28.97% employer contributions
• 25 days annual leave increasing to 30 days in annual increments (1 day per year) over 5 years reckonable service.
• Additional 8 public holiday leave days and 1 day privilege leave
• Flexible working hours in which colleagues can work anytime between 05:00 and 22:00, with ability to take accrued time as additional flexi leave
• Family friendly working policy (subject to work commitments, but managers understand the importance of e.g. school collection and/or childcare arrangements)
• On-site nursery, shop, restaurant and coffee shops
• Free on-site gym
• Free on-site car parking
• Individual and office-wide staff bonus schemes
• Non-competitive progression from C1 hearing officer to C2 senior hearing officer, which typically takes around 2 to 4 years
• Comprehensive training provided

The role

The role primarily involves writing and issuing decisions on trade mark disputes before the tribunal. A triage system allocates work between the ‘standard’ (C1) and senior (C2) hearing officers based on case complexity. The standard role focuses on section 5(2) likelihood of confusion, whilst senior hearing officers handle claims under sections 3(6), 5(3), 5(4)(a) (in addition to 5(2) cases). The senior role also involves contentious rectifications, conducting main hearings and some exposure to registered design and company names cases.

Both roles have responsibility for procedural matters, with issues allocated based on complexity. Hearing officers at both grades hold Case Management Conferences to ensure cases are dealt with quickly and effectively.

Key to the hearing officer role is the aptitude and willingness to learn developing case law, having a positive inclusive attitude to work and colleagues, and being committed to ensuring that the quality of tribunal work is produced to a very high standard.

For more details and/or an informal chat about the role, please do not hesitate to contact [email protected] or [email protected].

*incremental payrise due 1 August 2024

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