1. Peter Speller
CONTACT DETAILS
Address: 38 Main Bank, Tallington Lakes, Barholm Road, Tallington, Stamford, PE9 4RJ
Mobile: 07443 870696
Email: peteraspeller@gmail.com
Linked In: uk.linkedin.com/pub/peter-speller/27/11a/94b
PROFILE
Legal experience gained within a large corporate, handling own defendant personal injury and postal
litigation caseloads, and managing intellectual property portfolio & advertising copy clearance advice.
Latterly performing patent formalities administration work for an established patent and trade mark firm.
Strong organisational skills, establishing new, or improving on existing processes resulting in efficiencies.
Also gained from later project management role such as introducing a new document management system.
CAREER HISTORY from June 2014
Patent Formalities Administration – Reddie & Grose LLP | September 2015 to end June 2016
• Review patent office actions communications for references cited against patent applications and
record on disclosure statement documents, and download citations from Espacenet.
• Review patent office search reports and prepare appropriate draft communications for patent
attorneys and update patent specification abstracts and titles as needed.
• Update patent specification claims, draft allowance reports and identify allowed claims.
• Check Publication details of patents allowed for accuracy.
• Ensure correspondence and patent specification documents on file are accurate and up to date.
• Upload documentation to patent office system EPO Online.
• Add charges, raise, amend and finalise invoices.
• Validate references and associate post to relevant files.
• Use of and updating CPA proprietary software Inprotech.
Self Employed Courier Driver | July 2014 to August 2015
Delivering for Hermes - and contracting to chilled food distribution industry
CAREER HISTORY Royal Mail Group Ltd | July 1983 to June 2014
Projects Manager / Fully Delegated Outsourced Work Relationship Manager | July 2012 to June 2014
Broad range of project work requested by Deputy General Counsel with regular meetings to update DGC:
• Document Management System. Project managed sourcing, requirements gathering, development &
implementation of new system for Group Legal team of 60+ users, introducing new ways of working
such as becoming matter rather than lawyer centric, and e-filing in one place.
Post roll-out System Administrator, and provided first line trouble shooting and hand holding.
• Managed project to preserve legacy data from previous case management system in usable format
• Windows 7 & Office 2010 upgrade to whole organisation. Facilitated rollout within Group Legal team
• Managed project to rationalise 70,000+ hard copy files to reduce external storage costs.
Analysed data sets to determine which files could be destroyed.
• Interviewed Partners & Lawyers at external law firms to review Quality of Service and Relationship
issues. Collated results and reported findings to DGC
• Administered annual bulk renewal of Solicitors practice certificates
• Office moves. Group Legal representative as to logistics including data gathering, decision making,
updating teams, and liaison with overall project manager
• Developed and managed processes, and protocol documents, capturing terms of arm’s length
control of legal work outsourced to external law firms as fully delegated. Developed and maintained
Excel spreadsheet to monitor spend for that work
Legal Executive Postal Litigation and Intellectual Property | Jan 2011 to Jul 2012
Litigation claims issued by customers in the Small Claims Court in respect of postal service failures:
• Considered claims; drafted and filed defences; negotiated settlement with claimants or via mediation
• Prepared defended claims for Court hearings; instructed Counsel to advise, and appear at hearings
• Introduced pragmatic approach and ways of working for postal litigation work
• Developed spreadsheet for tracking progress and outcome of small claims litigation
Intellectual Property and Advertising Copy Clearance:
• Developed and managed greater arm’s length management of work from previous IP role i.e:
Liaised with internal clients, external law firms, and 3rd parties to provide advice and services as to
2. Trade Marks/Patents/Designs/Domain Names acquisition, objections, and renewals via IP Audit
Process; IP Infringements; Advertising copy clearance.
CAREER HISTORY Royal Mail Group Ltd | July 1983 to June 2014
Continued…..
Legal Executive Intellectual Property | 2002 to 2011
• Advertising and Sales Promotions Copy Clearance (including ASA complaints made and received).
Developed and managed process providing a robust mechanism for external lawyers to advise on
copy ensuring promotional materials were compliant e.g. CAP code, IP, Data Protection principles.
• Intellectual Property Portfolio Management (Designs, Patents, Trade Marks, Domain Names):
Advised internal clients and liaised with external law firms & 3rd parties as to general advice,
acquisition, and objections of Trade Marks, Patents/Designs, and Domain Names
Arranged for schedules of all IP assets to be stored all in one place on external extranet site
Renewals. Developed streamlined annual IP Audit Process to manage review of IP portfolios
to ensure portfolio fit for purpose and reducing renewal fees for those no longer needed
Introduced and chaired forum for domain name and trade mark stakeholders for info share
• Arranged payment and tracked spend on external advice and services re above
• Brand Infringement/Scams. Liaised with internal clients & external advisers on specific matters.
Developed Policy/Process to enable more efficient ways of dealing with and tracking actions.
• Copyright. Advised clients generally. Liaised with Performing Rights Society on liability to pay fees
• Data Protection. Included coordinating advice on standard marketing preference wording
• Licensing. Drafted agreements licensing Royal Mail Group intellectual property. Restructured
process including development of a web based system capturing IP licensing activity
Legal Executive Defendant Personal Injury | 1991 to 2002
• Managed own caseload of small/County Court claims on Employment liability, public liability, RTA
• Advised internal clients on liability and quantum
• Carried out accident investigations, interviewing witnesses and preparing statements
• Negotiated with claimant’s representatives as to potential settlement on liability and quantum
• Drafted defences/instructions to Counsel
• Appeared before District Judges/Masters on interlocutory matters
• Prepared papers for trial and assisted senior colleagues in High Court claims
Duty Scheduling | 1989 to 1991
• Analysed mail traffic flows and matched staffing levels; produced job descriptions for postal duties.
Human Resources | 1987 to 1989
• Interviewed postmen candidates; prepared recruitment papers; notified payroll of pay changes.
Postal cadet, Postman, Postman Higher Grade | 1983 to 1987
EDUCATION & QUALIFICATIONS
Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives 1998 -
Member of the Institute of Legal Executives 1996 - 1998
ILEX Membership Exams Part I and Part II - North East Surrey College of Technology 1991 - 1996
Civil Litigation, Tort, Contract, Criminal.
BTEC National Certificate Business and Finance East Surrey College 1991
BTEC General Certificate Business Studies East Surrey College 1984
RSA Computer Operations and Data Processing (credit) East Surrey College 1983
INTERESTS
Filming, editing and production of DVDs e.g. daughter's school productions and family & friends weddings.
Valiant attempts at improving my skills in the kitchen, and on the golf course.
