Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane

Join one of Australia's leading specialist intellectual property law firms and work on some of the country's most significant IP disputes.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an Associate or Senior Associate (3–5 years' PQE) to join the highly regarded litigation team at Spruson & Ferguson Lawyers. The level of appointment will reflect your skills, experience and demonstrated capability.

Working closely with our Principals, you'll play a key role in advising clients and managing complex patent, trade mark, copyright, design and confidential information disputes before the Federal Court of Australia and IP Australia.

About the Role

As part of our specialist litigation team, you will:

• Assist Principals in the management of significant IP litigation and related matters.
• Prepare legal advice on infringement, validity, freedom-to-operate and enforcement strategies.
• Draft pleadings, affidavits, witness statements and other Court and IP Australia documents.
• Conduct legal research on complex issues and contribute to litigation strategy, including using AI-assisted legal research tools where appropriate.
• Work closely with clients, counsel, expert witnesses and overseas associates.
• Manage discovery, evidence preparation and other interlocutory processes.
• Contribute to business development, thought leadership and mentoring junior team members.

About You

You will have:

• 3–5 years' post-qualification experience in commercial litigation.
• A strong interest in intellectual property, with IP litigation experience highly regarded.
• Excellent legal research, analytical reasoning and written advocacy skills.
• Strong commercial judgement and client relationship skills.
• The ability to quickly grasp technical and scientific concepts, with an interest in AI and emerging technologies.
• A collaborative approach, with the ability to work effectively in a multi-disciplinary team of lawyers, patent attorneys and trade mark attorneys.

About Us

Spruson & Ferguson is one of the Asia-Pacific's largest specialist intellectual property firms, with more than 480 professionals across 10 offices. As part of the IPH Group, we advise a diverse client base ranging from global organisations to innovative Australian businesses, helping protect, commercialise and enforce their intellectual property.

You'll work alongside some of Australia's leading IP lawyers on high-profile matters while building your career in a supportive and collaborative environment.

We offer:

• Paid parental leave of up to 18 weeks and 6 weeks partner leave
• Leave purchase scheme (up to 2 weeks)
• 1-day paid IP Day
• Group Salary Continuance Insurance
• Access to our Wellbeing Hub
• Hybrid working as standard
• Structured professional development programmes

How to Apply

We encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and people from diverse backgrounds. We are committed to providing a fair, inclusive and accessible recruitment process and will make reasonable adjustments where required.

If this opportunity sounds like the next step in your career, we'd love to hear from you. Please submit your resume and a cover letter telling us why you'd be a great addition to our team.

Successful candidates will undergo a standard pre-employment screening as part of the hiring process within the IPH Group. This process may include verifying key information such as your identity, qualifications, references, and criminal history. By submitting your application, you acknowledge that you may be required to complete any necessary background checks relevant to the role.