Vice President, Patent Underwriting

Company Overview

Burford Capital is the leading global finance and asset management firm focused on law. Its businesses include litigation finance and risk management, asset recovery and a wide range of legal finance and advisory activities. Burford is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BUR) and the London Stock Exchange (LSE: BUR), and it works with companies and law firms around the world from its principal offices in New York, London, Chicago, Washington, Singapore, and Dubai.

About the role

We are seeking an experienced litigator with success in all phases of complex patent cases. This person will be a team player who contributes actively in a collaborative environment. He/she will have the ability to quickly evaluate the merits of claims, assess and price risks associated with the litigation, evaluate litigation budgets, and negotiate financing deals from start to finish. Ideally this person will have worked with litigation funding, on a contingency/AFA basis, and/or on patent monetization, so as to have a strong grounding in the economics of patent matters.

Responsibilities

• Evaluate the merits of patent infringement claims, including validity, infringement, damages and other common substantive patent litigation issues.
• Assess and price risks associated with the litigation, evaluate litigation budgets, and negotiate financing deals from start to finish.
• Work closely with Burford’s legal, finance and tax teams effectively to structure, model, negotiate and close financing transactions, while minimizing legal and operational risks and building strong client relationships.
• Actively monitor ongoing patent investments, regularly interacting with clients and counsel as the litigation proceeds in order to facilitate successful resolution.
• Represent Burford at IP industry conferences and networking events, to build client relationships and originate patent finance opportunities.

Qualifications & Experience

• At least four years of patent litigation experience with a top US law firm or established litigation boutique.
• Litigation experience should include substantial briefing, deposition and expert discovery, and oral argument/trial work.
• Familiarity with litigation funding, working on a contingency/AFA basis, and/or on patent monetization is strongly desired.
• Additional in-house experience, particularly managing litigation dockets, evaluating litigation budgets and negotiating counsel engagements will also be useful.
• An undergraduate or graduate degree in engineering or science is preferred but not required.
• Licensed to practice law in any U.S jurisdiction. Registered patent attorney helpful but not required.

Skills Desired

• Superior writing and analytical ability.
• Numerate and deal-savvy, with the ability to price risk and explain (both internally and externally) the value of a deal.
• Excellent interpersonal/people skills, including the ability to build consensus with highly sophisticated internal clients and to interact effectively at all levels of the organization.
• A polished speaker, capable of representing Burford while participating on panels, attending industry conferences, and other client-facing business development activities.
• Highly organized, with committed work ethic and strong attention to detail; able to work independently and prioritize and manage multiple projects and deadlines simultaneously.
• Enterprising, highly intelligent, creative and proactive, and willing and eager to learn.

Other Requirements

• Some amount of business travel may be required.