IP Legal Consultant - Global

Job Title IP Counsel for Product Design Clearance — Premium Hardware Brand (US + UK/EU) Job Description: We are a growing premium architectural and cabinet hardware brand. As we scale and expand our product range, we’re building a proper IP clearance process into our product development workflow — and we need the right legal partner to help us do it. What we need: - Design clearance before new product launches: Freedom-to-operate (FTO) analysis to confirm our designs don’t infringe existing design patents, registered designs, or trade dress — before we go to market. - US coverage: USPTO and WIPO/Hague design-patent searches, trade-dress risk assessment, and product-name trademark checks for US launches. - UK/EU coverage: Registered-design FTO analysis, overall-impression assessment, validity/crowded-field review, and design-around guidance for UK and EU market entry. - Ongoing relationship: We launch new products regularly. We’re looking for counsel who can become our go-to for design clearance as part of our standard workflow, not a one-off engagement. About you: - Qualified US IP attorney (state bar) and/or UK/EU registered-design specialist (IPReg / CITMA / CIPA or EU equivalent) - Hands-on experience with design clearance, FTO searches, and design-around work — ideally in consumer products, hardware, homeware, or similar physical goods - Ability to cover or coordinate both US and UK/EU jurisdictions (in-house or via trusted associates) - Comfortable with fixed-fee or capped-fee engagements with clear scope - You do the substantive work personally and sign the opinion To apply, please include: - Your bar admission / registration details and jurisdiction(s) - One example of a design clearance or FTO matter you’ve handled in physical/consumer products - Whether you cover US only, UK/EU only, or both - Your fee structure (fixed-fee initial consultation + ballpark for a typical product-range clearance) Budget: fixed-fee (discuss in proposal) | Timeline: ongoing relationship, first engagement to begin promptly | Engagement type: fixed-price project