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Patent Attorney Jobs in Reston, VA (NOW HIRING)

Harness IP

Patent Prosecution Associate

Herndon, VA · On-site

This position is ideal for an attorney with at least 3-5 years of patent prosecution experience and a technical background in Chemical Sciences. Harness IP offers a hybrid work environment, providing ...

Lawyers On Demand, a Consilio Company

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CONTRACT | Patent Paralegal

Washington, DC · On-site

$40/hr

Lawyers on Demand, a Consilio Company, is currently seeking a contract patent paralegal to support one of our law firm clients on a hybrid assignment. Start: ASAP once interviewed and selected Pay ...

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All JobsPatent Attorney JobsPatent Attorney Jobs in Reston, VA

Patent Attorney information

See Reston, VA salary details

$69.8K

$155.8K

$270.5K

How much do patent attorney jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 6, 2026, the average yearly pay for patent attorney in Reston, VA is $155,754.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $116,700.00 and $182,400.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a patent attorney?

As a patent attorney, you work with clients to protect their inventions and intellectual property, ensuring that they have exclusive rights to it for a period. You may be asked to file patents with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) to protect your client’s right to market and manufacture a product. You may also appear in court to settle disputes over patents and protect your client’s rights and profits.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a patent attorney?

To thrive as a Patent Attorney, you need a robust understanding of intellectual property law, a degree in science or engineering, and admission to both a state bar and the patent bar (USPTO). Familiarity with patent databases, legal research platforms like LexisNexis, and document management systems is typically required. Outstanding analytical thinking, attention to detail, and strong written and verbal communication skills help distinguish top performers in this field. These skills and qualifications are critical for effectively protecting clients' inventions, navigating complex legal processes, and ensuring successful patent prosecution and litigation.

What challenges does a patent attorney face when managing a diverse portfolio of clients?

Patent Attorneys often work with clients from a wide range of industries, each presenting unique technical and legal complexities. Managing a diverse portfolio requires staying up-to-date with rapidly evolving technologies, understanding varied patent laws across jurisdictions, and effectively communicating with inventors and technical teams. Additionally, balancing multiple deadlines and prioritizing filings to protect clients' intellectual property can be demanding. Strong organizational skills and adaptability are crucial to ensure all client needs are met efficiently.

What is the difference between Patent Attorney vs Patent Agent?

AspectPatent AttorneyPatent Agent
CredentialsLaw degree, bar admission, patent law specializationPatent bar exam, technical degree, patent law knowledge
Work EnvironmentLegal firms, corporate legal departments, law courtsPatent offices, law firms, corporate R&D departments
Employer & IndustryLegal industry, patent law firms, corporationsPatent offices, law firms, tech companies

Patent attorneys and patent agents both handle patent applications and intellectual property issues, but patent attorneys are licensed lawyers with law degrees and can represent clients in court. Patent agents are registered with the patent office and focus on patent prosecution. The choice depends on whether legal representation in court is needed or solely patent filing and prosecution services are required.

Are patent attorneys highly paid?

Patent attorneys typically earn higher salaries compared to many other legal professionals due to their specialized technical knowledge and the demand for intellectual property expertise. Salaries vary based on experience, location, and employer, but they often include bonuses and benefits reflecting their advanced skills and certification requirements such as passing the patent bar exam.

Is it hard being a patent attorney?

Being a patent attorney can be challenging due to the technical knowledge required, the need to pass the patent bar exam, and the detailed legal work involved in patent prosecution and litigation. The role often demands strong analytical skills, attention to detail, and the ability to manage complex cases under tight deadlines.
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Patent Attorney jobs near you
Infographic showing various Patent Attorney job openings in Reston, VA as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 81% Full Time, 16% Part Time, 1% Temporary, and 2% Contract. Highlights an 71% Physical, 8% Hybrid, and 21% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $155,754 per year, or $74.9 per hour.

Sr. Manager, Sr. Counsel - IP Counsel / Patent Portfolio Manager (Hybrid)

Capital One

Mclean, VA • On-site

Full-time

Posted 19 days ago

Key responsibilities

  • Manage and develop patent strategies aligned with product development, focusing on AI and data-driven innovations.

  • Identify, harvest, and protect critical patentable technologies by engaging with inventors and providing IP education.

  • Oversee outside counsel teams and utilize AI tools to ensure high-quality patent assets and effective IP portfolio management.

Capital One rating

7.8

Company rating: 7.8 out of 10

Based on 148 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

89th of 175 rated banks

Job description

Sr. Manager, Sr. Counsel - IP Counsel / Patent Portfolio Manager (Hybrid)
Overview:
Capital One's legal department is looking for a proactive, talented, and dynamic patent attorney to join its fast-growing Intellectual Property team. Members of our IP team harness a vibrant innovation culture and an engaged inventor community to develop and implement IP and patent strategies enterprise-wide. It's audacious, creative work at a massive scale with deep exposure to inventors and business leaders to protect and shape the future of Capital One. If you are inquisitive, collaborative, self-motivated and enthusiastic about technology and IP, particularly in navigating the new frontier of artificial intelligence, come join us!
We are looking for someone who:
  • Is an outstanding patent attorney with experience in preparing and prosecuting complex software or AI / machine learning centric applications as part of strategic product protection or portfolio building efforts; the successful candidate will be responsible for driving IP and patent strategy parallel to product development, with a specific focus on capturing and shaping critically important IP leveraging AI architectures and data-driven innovations.
  • Is comfortable proactively engaging various teams across the enterprise to implement IP counseling and mine for critical IP; the successful candidate will set portfolio strategies and lead invention harvesting efforts that identify novel business-critical patentable technologies, and provide education and training to technical teams.
  • Is a technology early-adopter who is comfortable utilizing generative AI and advanced legal-tech tools in day-to-day workflows; the successful candidate will lean into enterprise AI capabilities to streamline portfolio management and enhance cross-team productivity.
  • Can efficiently and effectively manage multiple outside counsel teams and AI centric workflows, to ensure our processes generate and maintain high quality, relevant, and effective IP assets that will protect Capital One's inventions and improve our overall strategy.
  • Is an excellent verbal and written communicator; the successful candidate will need to feel comfortable presenting in front of inventors, colleagues, and business leaders, and will need to be able to communicate complex legal concepts in a clear and simple way that fosters trust and respect.
  • Can independently counsel clients, and is skilled at identifying and providing practical legal advice on a wide range of patent and IP issues, including trade secrets and copyright at the intersection of AI, and advising on matters related to litigation, partnerships, open source software, licensing, and acquisition.
  • Can effectively integrate patent strategy as part of a comprehensive IP strategy for mitigating third party risk and driving business goals; the successful candidate will have a mindset for rapid growth, to be able to effectively leverage all forms of IP to achieve business goals relating to partnerships and externalization.
  • Can demonstrate sound judgment even in novel situations, and investigate and understand business goals in a way that helps them evaluate risk effectively and provide practical legal advice.
  • Has excellent organizational skills, attention to detail, and the ability to prioritize effectively to meet deadlines or business goals.
  • Is creative and not afraid to suggest and try something new to raise the bar and improve experiences with teammates, inventors, and stakeholders; the successful candidate takes pride in their work and wants to add value outside of the day-to-day expectations of the role.
  • Is an excellent team player who can create friendly and collaborative working relationships, particularly with their teammates, the rest of the legal department, internal clients, and outside counsel. A good sense of humor and an interest in having fun at work are pluses!

This role is hybrid meaning associates spend 3 days per week in-person at one of our offices listed on this job posting.
Basic Qualifications:
  • Juris Doctor from an accredited Law School
  • Active member in good standing of at least one state bar
  • Registered to practice before the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)
  • At least 4 years of experience drafting and prosecuting patent applications and counseling to drive strategic harvesting and portfolio development

Preferred Qualifications:
  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or Electrical Engineering
  • Experience with providing intellectual property client counseling, transactional counseling, licensing agreements, and M&A due diligence
  • Experience leveraging or navigating trade secrets and copyrights, particularly as it pertains to software, as part of holistic IP counseling
  • Experience with Open Source licensing and Standards Development Organizations
  • Experience as a software developer
  • Experience with Machine Learning / Artificial Intelligence technologies
  • Experience with payments or other financial technologies (Fintech)

At this time, Capital One will not sponsor a new applicant for employment authorization for this position.
The minimum and maximum full-time annual salaries for this role are listed below, by location. Please note that this salary information is solely for candidates hired to perform work within one of these locations, and refers to the amount Capital One is willing to pay at the time of this posting. Salaries for part-time roles will be prorated based upon the agreed upon number of hours to be regularly worked.
McLean, VA: $200,700 - $229,100 for Sr. Manager, Sr. Counsel
Candidates hired to work in other locations will be subject to the pay range associated with that location, and the actual annualized salary amount offered to any candidate at the time of hire will be reflected solely in the candidate's offer letter.
This role is also eligible to earn performance based incentive compensation, which may include cash bonus(es) and/or long term incentives (LTI). Incentives could be discretionary or non discretionary depending on the plan.
Capital One offers a comprehensive, competitive, and inclusive set of health, financial and other benefits that support your total well-being. Learn more at the Capital One Careers website. Eligibility varies based on full or part-time status, exempt or non-exempt status, and management level.
This role is expected to accept applications for a minimum of 5 business days.
No agencies please. Capital One is an equal opportunity employer (EOE, including disability/vet) committed to non-discrimination in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws. Capital One promotes a drug-free workplace. Capital One will consider for employment qualified applicants with a criminal history in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable laws regarding criminal background inquiries, including, to the extent applicable, Article 23-A of the New York Correction Law; San Francisco, California Police Code Article 49, Sections 4901-4920; New York City's Fair Chance Act; Philadelphia's Fair Criminal Records Screening Act; and other applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations regarding criminal background inquiries.
If you have visited our website in search of information on employment opportunities or to apply for a position, and you require an accommodation, please contact Capital One Recruiting at 1-800-304-9102 or via email at RecruitingAccommodation@capitalone.com. All information you provide will be kept confidential and will be used only to the extent required to provide needed reasonable accommodations.
For technical support or questions about Capital One's recruiting process, please send an email to Careers@capitalone.com
Capital One does not provide, endorse nor guarantee and is not liable for third-party products, services, educational tools or other information available through this site.
Capital One Financial is made up of several different entities. Please note that any position posted in Canada is for Capital One Canada, any position posted in the United Kingdom is for Capital One Europe and any position posted in the Philippines is for Capital One Philippines Service Corp. (COPSSC).

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