Patent Specialist, signing bonus for you!

International law firm is seeking a Patent Specialist (called an IP Quality Assurance Specialist) to support the firm’s patent prosecution practice in their Boston, MA office.

Work with a great IP team and put your IP knowledge to work in a rewarding environment.

As an IP Assistant, you will work within the practice’s IP Quality Assurance department supporting two teams of patent and trademark prosecution timekeepers. The IP Assistant will provide an essential quality control and procedural function within the group to ensure the highest standards of work product to adhere to Firm and IP best practices. This role requires in-depth knowledge and experience regarding IP prosecution requirements.

Responsibilities:

• Conduct detailed quality review of all U.S. and foreign patent and trademark filings and foreign agent order letters made within the IP group firmwide prior to their submission, in order to avoid errors which could incur client cost or invalidate IP assets.
• Provide review and double-checking of work product produced by the practice’s Docketing and Annuities departments firmwide.
• Liaise with Docketing department to facilitate follow-up on daily docket clearance of all deadlines due each day.
• Review of vendor drawings and work product for accuracy and edits.
• Review and provide support for the practice’s clerical team in regards to centralized email saving and naming convention processes.
• Serve as a knowledge and tactical resource, including providing input in formulating best practices as a member of the group’s Procedures Committee.
• Coordinate intake, conduct matter review, patent office filings, and file audits related to incoming file transfers; facilitate outgoing file transfers quickly and to the client's/new counsel's satisfaction.
• Manage, track and complete large or long-term projects as requested by attorneys/clients or required by patent office rules.
• Provide backup/overflow support for IP Assistants, Docketing, Foreign Filing in times of high volume/complex work.
• Provide occasional coverage outside of business hours when required to meet attorney/filing needs.
• Participation in IP onboarding/exit processes; train new and existing staff; educate staff and legal teams on rules and changes/updates.
• Administrate IPDAS database: Maintain and update case-specific information.
• Serve as a resource for IP procedural questions in both the Southeast and Boston IP Groups.
• Review of errors/issues based on incoming USPTO communications and recommendations for correction of same. 
• Maintain and update filing checklists for quality control purposes and to reflect updates to rules or internal best practices.
• Participate in group’s drafting and distribution of client IP Alerts regarding IP law changes

Qualifications:

The ideal candidate has 5+ years of patent and trademark experience, preferably in a high-volume law firm environment. Candidate should have strong organizational and prioritization skills, impeccable attention to detail, excellent interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence, experience researching patent law rules and procedures and the ability to synthesize and communicate this information, the ability to stay calm under pressure, and should be team oriented. Experience with CPI, IPDAS, and quality control functions are a plus.

The position is a hybrid model.