Bristows

A London law firm known for intellectual property work, which runs an in-person IP workshop for scientists and engineers.

About Bristows

Bristows is a London law firm best known for intellectual property (IP), which is the law that protects inventions, brands, designs and creative work, and for technology law. In practice that means its lawyers act in patent disputes (arguments over who owns an invention), advise on trade marks, data and AI rules, and help technology and life sciences companies with contracts and deals. Its other areas include competition, commercial work, regulation, tax, real estate and employment.

According to Wikipedia, Robert Wilson founded the firm in 1837 in the City of London, and early work included advice on telegraph patents. Ebenezer Bristow joined in 1849 and later became president of the Law Society, the solicitors' professional body. The firm took the name Bristows in 1998 and now works from 100 Victoria Embankment in London. The All About Law careers page also mentions offices in Dublin and Brussels. Wikipedia lists examples of its work, including helping draft agreements for the first transatlantic telephone cable in the 1930s and acting in the first UK biotechnology case, for Genentech, in the 1980s.

We did not find a mission statement or a values list on the pages we could read. Instead, its graduate careers page says it wants trainees with genuine curiosity about technology, science or brands and states that a science degree is not essential. Non-law graduates and career changers are encouraged to apply. That is the firm's own description of who it looks for.

Reported work includes advising Smith & Nephew in a patent case, SAS Institute in a long-running software dispute, and Samsung in the UK side of its dispute with Apple (Wikipedia, from public cases). The firm runs IP workshops to introduce students to the field, including one for scientists and engineers in person in London (closing 23 October 2026) and an online one for first-year undergraduates (closing 14 May 2027).

All About Law describes a specialist, smaller London office, mostly open plan, with hybrid working of three office days a week and typical hours of about 9:15am to 6:30 or 7pm. Trainees report approachable partners and a partner supervisor for the full two years. The training contract has about 10 places, five or six seats of three or six months, and patent litigation is the required seat. The firm pays £49,000 in year one and £52,000 in year two, with full funding for the SQE or conversion course and a maintenance grant (All About Law, as at 2026). A 2:1 degree is the minimum, and applications for the 2029 contract close 3 January 2027. All About Law also reports 53 per cent state school trainees. Benefits include 25 days of holiday plus two wellbeing days. No apprenticeship was found.

What they do

• {'desc': 'Protecting inventions, brands and data for technology and science companies.', 'title': 'IP and technology law'}
• {'desc': 'About 10 places, two years, patent litigation is a required seat.', 'title': 'Training contract'}
• {'desc': 'In-person and online events introducing students to intellectual property.', 'title': 'IP workshops'}
• {'desc': 'SQE or conversion course funding plus a maintenance grant.', 'title': 'Funded legal training'}

Key facts

• Founded 1837 by Robert Wilson in the City of London (Wikipedia)
• Training contract pay £49,000 (year 1) and £52,000 (year 2); about 10 places (All About Law, as at 2026)
• Training contract 2029 applications close 3 January 2027; 2:1 degree minimum
• IP Workshop for Scientists and Engineers closes 23 October 2026
• A science degree is not essential, according to its careers page

Website: www.bristows.com