Job Description

Job Advert


Openshaw & Co. is an expert patent attorney firm based in Farnham, Surrey. We pride ourselves in helping clients across the UK, Europe, and worldwide protect their innovations with expert intellectual property services.


We are looking for a Formalities Manager to lead, coordinate and develop our paralegal and formalities operations, ensuring consistency, efficiency and high-quality service across the firm. This is an exciting new position to support our expanding business.


You will champion standardisation, streamline ways of working, and promote excellent communication across teams. Alongside day-to-day oversight, you will drive process improvements that enhance scalability and support our commitment to continuous improvement.


The role also includes responsibility for office and facilities management, covering supplier relationships, health and safety, and overseeing the smooth running of our working environment. This role will require one day a week working from the Farnham office.


As a people leader, you will shape a positive, collaborative culture - supporting individuals to thrive, building engagement, and ensuring the team works confidently and effectively as a cohesive unit.

Main Responsibilities

Leadership and Team Management

Lead, motivate and develop the Paralegal Team and Team Leaders to deliver high-quality, accurate and timely support for patent and IP matters. Act as primary or second appraiser for team members, ensuring a fair, consistent and aligned approach to performance management. Foster a positive, inclusive and collaborative team culture built on trust, accountability and mutual respect. Support Team Leaders in managing priorities and resolving operational challenges to maintain effective and cohesive team working. Oversee learning, development and onboarding activities, ensuring new starters receive consistent training and existing team members continue to build capability and professional competence.

Practice Harmonisation and Process Improvement

Review and update paralegal processes to address scalability challenges and embed efficiency improvements, aligned with continuous improvement principles (e.g., Kaizen). Identify and implement workflow and productivity enhancements that strengthen service quality. Harmonise practices across Paralegal Teams to ensure consistent standards and ways of working. Ensure all processes comply with internal policies, quality expectations and relevant IP/regulatory requirements.

Systems and Operational Oversight

Manage the Foundation IP docketing system and oversee processes/reporting, ensuring data integrity, accuracy and efficient workflows. Support the transition to new docketing or case management systems, working with IT, operations and legal colleagues to enable smooth implementation. Monitor workload distribution across Paralegal Teams to maintain balanced, efficient and fair allocation of work. Act as the escalation point for complex or sensitive paralegal issues, providing guidance and practical resolution. The Formalities Manager may manage a personal caseload of formalities work, including handling post, docketing, filings, reminders, client reporting, and ensuring case records and IP systems are accurate and up to date, alongside wider responsibilities of the role.

Collaboration and Continuous Improvement

Work collaboratively with senior leadership, patent attorneys and business support teams to align paralegal operations with firm-wide strategy, capacity planning and resourcing needs. Lead and coordinate paralegal meetings, ensuring actions and outcomes are captured and followed up. Support the introduction and adoption of new systems, workflows and tools that improve scalability, quality and overall service delivery.

Office Management

Ensure the smooth day-to-day running of the firm's offices, including maintenance, repairs, leases, insurance renewals and supplier contracts, as well as procurement of office supplies, equipment and services. Lead on health & safety compliance by managing required processes, training, documentation, and coordinating all routine checks, inspections and assessments. Oversee building access, parking systems and space planning to support an efficient working environment.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience

Essential

Significant experience as a Paralegal or in a comparable legal operations/management role, with a strong understanding of legal and administrative processes (including docketing and case management systems). Proven leadership experience, with the ability to develop others and manage team performance in a legal or professional services environment. Strong communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to handle conflict and build effective working relationships. Demonstrated ability to review, streamline and improve processes to support scalability, efficiency and continuous improvement. Highly organised, able to prioritise effectively and manage multiple demands with a proactive, solutions-focused approach.

Desirable

Experience within an Intellectual Property (IP) or Patent Attorney firm, including use of Foundation IP or similar docketing/case management systems, oversight and reporting. Background in system transitions or process improvement initiatives, with an understanding of Kaizen or other continuous improvement methodologies. Experience in office and facilities management within a professional services environment, including building leases, insurance processes and health & safety responsibilities (and/or a relevant H&S qualification).

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Benefits will include:

25 days holiday Long service holiday award Employee ownership trust bonus Private medical insurance (Vitality) Flexible hybrid working Free parking for the office * Company pension