Position Overview:

Restaurant Brands International Inc. (RBI), the owner of the BURGER KING®, TIM HORTONS®, POPEYES® and FIREHOUSE SUBS® brands and one of the largest quick service restaurant companies in the world, is seeking an Intellectual Property Paralegal to work at its Restaurant Support Center in either Miami, Florida or Toronto, Ontario.  The successful candidate will provide critical support to the Marketing and IP lawyers within the RBI Legal Department. The position also involves working directly with external intellectual property counsel and may assist with the review of marketing materials. This position provides support to the legal and business teams in a fast-paced environment while maintaining a high level of professionalism.

RBI Culture: 

At RBI, we are driven by our vision to build the most loved restaurant brands in the world. With more than 27,000 Burger King, Tim Hortons, Popeyes, and Firehouse Subs restaurants in more than 110 countries, we know that diversity of perspectives makes us better at serving the diverse guests who come into our restaurants each and every day. At RBI, we believe in:

- Dreaming Big: Life is too short for small dreams

- Ownership: You value things more when you own them

- Meritocracy: Your growth is based entirely on what you do and how you do it

- Diversity: A wide range of voices and perspectives make us stronger

- Creativity & Innovation: Find ways to do things differently to make them better

- Authenticity: Be a hard-working, good person

We are looking for talented people who share our vision and values to join our legal team.  Together, we can make a difference when committed individuals bring together their resources and their resolve.   

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Minimum 5 years legal clerking or paralegal experience at a law firm or in-house legal department
• Post-secondary degree or diploma in legal administration, law clerk or paralegal studies or related field from an accredited College or University
• Experience with international trademark portfolio management preferred
• Experience in an Intellectual Property practice group with specialized knowledge of trademarks and IP prosecution (registrations, renewals, examiner reports, oppositions, clearance searches, usage and infringement)
• Experience instructing external IP counsel would be considered an asset
• Experience in marketing/advertising review would be considered an asset
• Proven ability to work independently with business partners
• Strong organizational, administrative and communication skills
• Strong drafting skills (memos, letters, contracts, basic agreements, coexistence agreements, etc.)
• Proficiency in Excel would be considered an asset
• Attention to detail, takes pride in quality of documents
• Comfortable working in a team environment, yet demonstrates ability to work independently
• Ability to work in a flexible and dynamic environment; willingness to assist others and work on a variety of tasks
• Able to handle sensitive matters with discretion and professionalism
• Organized and demonstrates ability to work effectively in multi-tasking environment with high volume workload
• Bilingualism (English and French, and/or other language) would be considered an asset

Essential Responsibilities

• Responsible for the administration and management of the Company’s IP matters and deadlines for Canada, the U.S. and International
• Reviews marketing materials for proper usage of IP and to assess IP clearance needs
• Conduct and reviews trademark searches in partnership with in-house and outside counsel
• Supports in-house counsel on any infringement matters, including drafting memos for identification of infringements, drafting cease and desist letters, submitting online takedown requests, etc.
• Corresponds with outside counsel as needed regarding IP matters and tracks all matters 
• Reviews and conducts initial mark ups of marketing materials, including contest rules, POP materials and agreements (sponsorships, joint promotions, etc.)
• Prepare basic draft agreements (releases, licenses, settlements, etc.)
• Collaborate with in-house and external counsel on IP budgets and invoices
• Works closely with business partners and in-house counsel to identify and minimize risk to the company as it relates to IP and marketing materials
• Works with legal team to develop training materials, resources and presentations for the marketing and branding teams on relevant topics

Equal Opportunity Employer

Restaurant Brands International and all of its affiliated companies (collectively, RBI) are equal opportunity and affirmative action employers that do not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, religion, age, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by local, state, provincial or federal laws, rules, or regulations. RBI's policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment. Accommodation is available for applicants with disabilities upon request.

Function

Community and Legal