Successful candidates will be appointed as a legally qualified member of the Boards of Appeal.

The Boards of Appeal are an independent judicial authority under the European Patent Convention. Their decisions on European patents are final and not subject to any further appeal.

Members of the Boards of Appeal are independent in the performance of their judicial duties. In their decisions they are not bound by any instructions and must comply only with the provisions of the European Patent Convention (Article 23(3) EPC).

Main duties

• Contributing to all written and oral procedural stages of proceedings before the technical Boards of Appeal and the Legal Board of Appeal.
• As rapporteur: drafting communications to the parties, preparing oral proceedings, and drafting decisions.
• Helping to train new board members.

Minimum qualifications

• Diploma of completed studies at master's level or – in exceptional cases – equivalent professional knowledge and experience acquired over many years of qualified work.
• Excellent knowledge of one official language (English, French or German) and the ability to understand the other two.
• Citizenship of one of the Contracting States of the European Patent Organisation.

Ideal candidate profile

• Many years of professional experience in intellectual property law, preferably in patent law, as a judge, lawyer in private practice, or legal adviser in public administration or industry.
• Profound knowledge of the European Patent Convention and of the case law of the Boards of Appeal and the Enlarged Board of Appeal.
• Strong legal and technical analytical skills.
• Ability to carry out a judicial function, to act in an impartial, fair, balanced and efficient manner, and to display the high standard of conduct appropriate to persons exercising a judicial function.
• Proven track record of very high performance.
• High degree of commitment and self-motivation.
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage workload effectively, including meeting objectives.
• Ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing.
• Openness to receiving feedback and a high interest in professional development.
• Ability to work collegially with board members and other colleagues.
• Ability to work in a multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary environment.

What we offer  

• Work as a member of a judicial authority which renders decisions at final instance.
• A highly professional, collegial and international work environment.

Procedure and time frame

The successful candidate will be appointed by the Administrative Council of the European Patent Organisation for a term of five years and may be reappointed subject to a positive opinion based on a performance evaluation by the President of the Boards of Appeal.

Selection will be made on the basis of qualifications and an interview.

Candidates are asked to supplement their application, including motivation statement and curriculum vitae, with appraisal reports and/or certificates of employment, as well as with information on whom to contact about their professional performance.

Furthermore, they are requested to provide two recent work samples in one of the official languages of the EPO, e.g. copies of decisions or written submissions filed at a court or the EPO, personally drafted by them. If these are not available in one of the official languages, a translation should be submitted.

It is intended to hold the interviews in week 17 of 2021.

The recruitment procedure will be finalised upon decision of the Administrative Council. It is currently envisaged that a proposal is presented to the Administrative Council for decision at its 167th session on the (29-30.6.2021). Applicants will only be notified of the outcome of their application thereafter.

To find out more about the boards of appeal: https://jobs.epo.org/content/Boards-of-Appeal/?locale=en_EN

Key Information

Job group: 3

Grade: G14/1 (net (basic) monthly salary* for this vacancy: EUR 13 800)

Duration of appointment: Five-year term with possibility of re-appointment

Career path: Technical 

Location: Munich 

Application deadline: 15.3.2021

Interviews planned for: Calender week 17

*after deduction of EPO internal tax and before deduction of staff contributions to the social-security and pension schemes.