Legal Advisor (Patent Lawyer)

Based: London or any key site - including Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Leeds and Bristol: 

Role summary

KPMG is now a digital business, and as a result, technology enables everything it does and requires KPMG to continue to transform with technology in support of its Growth and Trust agenda. This role, which is focused on the product and innovation aspects of Intellectual Property (IP), Technology and Data, is a part of the International Office of the General Counsel (IOGC).  It focuses on providing legal advice and support from IOGC on the development, protection, enforcement, acquisition and licensing of technology, software and data, particularly risks, protections and opportunities related to the patent aspects of KPMG’s IP, technology and data strategy.

Although this role is primarily focused on product and innovation, this role may also involve providing support to other IOGC lawyers on strategic initiatives and commercial technology transactions, particularly where the licensed technology is protected by patents, is not patent protected but is in a highly patented field, and/or leverages artificial intelligence and blockchain.

The person in this role will execute their responsibilities under the overall supervision of, and working collaboratively with, the most senior patent lawyer with respect to IP, Technology and Data and other senior lawyers focused on IP and technology law. This role requires a person to provide meaningful value-add to business and technology development teams by supporting product and innovation that contributes to over $17 billion in annual revenue, helping to analyse KPMGI’s intellectual property (IP) and technology assets, and advising on patent protection and IP enforcement, all while supporting IOGC’s senior leadership team in managing, mitigating and preventing legal and reputational risk.

The role is an excellent opportunity for a junior lawyer who has focused on patent work (prosecution, litigation, licensing, freedom to operate) to apply their skills to a rapidly growing international patent pipeline focused on emerging technologies and to expand their IP skillsets beyond patent law in a rapidly growing digital business.  

The role is to provide in-house employment law related advisory service on demand and proactively on initiative, to clients of the ELAT team, principally being human resources professionals within KPMG.  The proposal is that the solicitor will assist other team members in relation to all of the employment law requirements of the business including advising on the creation and interpretation of People policies. There is also a requirement to undertake investigations in high-risk or sensitive conduct cases as and when required.

Advice will be on both contentious and non-contentious employee related matters which occur in KPMG’s offices throughout the UK. This will include providing advice to the in-house employee relations team.  Employment litigation experience is also required.

In carrying out the role, the solicitor will be required to work as the junior employment lawyer joining the existing team currently comprising three solicitors.

The successful candidate will also be required to liaise with and manage external law firms and barristers when appropriate. However, the majority of the employment legal advice is currently carried out in house.

The KDN National Information Technology Security Officer leads the Information Security Organisation and the evolution of the security program, ensuring alignment with global information security priorities, KPMG policies, and regulatory requirements while engaging senior leadership and key stakeholders. The KDN NITSO acts as the primary liaison with global security and risk functions, oversees information security and third‑party risk management, and ensures consistent implementation and regular review of security controls, policies, training, and incident management across KDN.

Finance is currently heavily involved in the EMPowered project which will see the firm's core Finance systems replaced with S/4 HANA and other new systems integrated alongside.  This change will be the biggest transformation the firm has seen in 15 years and it is vital that the Finance teams scale up operations to help support the business in the successful roll out of these new systems.  

The Audit Technology team at KPMG is driving innovation at the intersection of auditing and advanced technological solutions, reshaping the future of audit delivery. By combining expertise in Artificial Intelligence, Data Engineering, Data Analytics, and Software Development, the team is revolutionising the auditing process to deliver smarter, faster, and more reliable outcomes.

Our mission is to design and implement robust, intelligent, and scalable technologies that not only streamline workflows but also enhance audit quality and generate actionable insights for auditors and clients. Through harnessing the power of cutting-edge tools, we aim to transform traditional audit practices into dynamic, forward-thinking processes that are built for the complexities of the modern business environment.

Our team, supported by KPMG’s global network, serves as the driving force behind this transformative journey. Focused on innovation, this team is dedicated to engineering solutions today that anticipate the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow, ensuring that audit services remain at the forefront of technological progression.