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Bumble is seeking a Lead Legal Counsel for Intellectual Property to serve as a senior subject-matter expert guiding the company's complex IP strategy across its brands (Bumble Date, BFF, Badoo), products, technology, and creative work. This is an individual contributor role focused on independent leadership of significant IP matters rather than people management.
Key responsibilities include:
- Shape and execute Bumble's global intellectual property strategy in partnership with Legal leadership, translating business and product priorities into practical approaches to protection, portfolio management, licensing, and enforcement.
- Own significant matters across Bumble's international trademark, copyright, patent, domain name, trade secret, and digital asset portfolio, working with external counsel and specialist providers.
- Collaborate across Marketing, Creative, Brand, Design, Product, and Engineering to provide rights-clearance and IP advice from concept through launch, covering trademarks, copyright, publicity rights, creator and talent rights, user-generated content, and third-party materials.
- Independently lead complex IP enforcement and dispute matters, including infringement, oppositions, litigation support, and evidence management, applying commercial judgment to determine where action delivers meaningful protection.
- Advise on creation, ownership, protection, licensing, and commercialization of Bumble-developed IP. Draft and negotiate sophisticated IP arrangements including licenses, coexistence agreements, assignments, merchandising arrangements, and technology agreements.
- Partner with Product and Engineering on patent strategy, software development, open-source software, and innovation protection. Advise on emerging IP questions involving generative AI, training data, provenance, ownership, licensing, and infringement risk.
- Support due diligence for significant partnerships, investments, and acquisitions. Develop practical playbooks, precedents, training, and self-service guidance to help teams identify and manage IP risk consistently.
- Provide clear, pragmatic advice to senior stakeholders while maintaining an agile mindset. Use approved AI tools to strengthen legal research, review, summarization, and knowledge management, while carefully assessing outputs for accuracy, privacy, and responsible use.
Bumble's mission is to create a world where healthy and equitable relationships and friendships thrive. The Legal team plays an important role in protecting the ideas, brands, technology, and experiences that bring that mission to life.
QUALIFICATIONS & REQUIREMENTS:
- Qualified as a solicitor in England and Wales, or hold an equivalent qualification in another European jurisdiction.
- Typically 8+ years of experience, though candidates with alternative backgrounds demonstrating equivalent skills are welcome.
- Deep intellectual property expertise, particularly across trademarks, copyright, brand protection, licensing, portfolio management, rights clearance, and technology-related IP matters, developed in-house, in private practice, or through a combination of both.
- Strong experience advising consumer technology or similarly complex businesses on intellectual property issues involving software, digital content, product innovation, AI, and emerging technologies. Ability to independently develop practical solutions to significant or unusual legal questions.
- Accomplished drafter and negotiator who can manage sophisticated IP and technology arrangements and translate complex legal concepts into clear recommendations.
- Ability to collaborate with purpose and build trusted relationships with senior partners across different disciplines. Takes ownership of challenging matters and adapts approach with an agile mindset.
- Sound commercial judgment combined with strong organizational and project-management skills. Ability to distinguish material business risks from theoretical ones while managing multiple priorities, international portfolios, external advisers, and specialist providers.
- Demonstrates Curiosity, Courage, and Excellence. Comfortable identifying and using AI opportunities to improve effectiveness while exercising appropriate human judgment and applying AI responsibly.
