Patent Prosecution Legal Assistant (hybrid)

About the position Merchant & Gould has been a leader in intellectual property law for more than 100 years. We are recognized as one of the most active filers of patents in the country, and are consistently rated among the top patent, copyright and trademark firms. We currently have an opportunity for a patent prosecution legal assistant. The salary range for the position is $70,000-$95,000, based years of experience. We are looking for a highly skilled patent prosecution legal assistant with five+ years of experience in U.S. patent prosecution. Knowledge and experience with policies and procedures pertaining to the PTO and electronic filing required. The professional we seek must be a positive self-starter, extremely organized, detail-oriented and highly accurate, deadline-driven, have strong computer skills and excellent verbal and written communication skills. Summary of Position (hybrid): Provides client management support for attorney, not limited to written and verbal communications with clients along with maintaining docket and client specific procedures. Assists attorney in prosecuting patent applications in the United States and various foreign countries. In order to perform one (1) or more essential functions of this role, a minimum of three (3) days in the office is required.

Responsibilities

• Establishes and maintains patent files: opens files, prepares documents for filing including, patent applications, Preliminary Amendments, Information Disclosure Statements, Responses to Missing Parts, Assignments, Amendments, payments of Issue Fees, etc.
• Reviews all incoming correspondence from U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and foreign associates for essential docketing.
• Maintain clients’ portfolios by being proactive in facilitating communication between attorney and client.
• Maintains and updates docketing log spreadsheet.
• On-going verbal and written communication with attorneys, clients and foreign associates.
• Other administrative tasks and projects as may be assigned.

Requirements

• BA degree and/or paralegal certificate or minimum of 5 years experience in U.S. patent prosecution.
• Familiarity with electronic case management systems and USPTO rules and requirements. IPFolio, Memotech, etc. is a plus.
• Ability to work comfortably with advanced computer software (after training) and effectively use and maintain a computer database. Knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook) required. Possible use of speech-to-text transcription software.
• Ability to work independently and meet critical deadlines under supervision of attorney.
• Ability to organize and prioritize numerous tasks and complete them under time constraints.
• Ability to concentrate on detailed work for up to 80% of work day.
• Interpersonal skills necessary in order to communicate and follow instructions from a diverse group, including clients, attorneys and others, and to provide information with ordinary courtesy and tact.
• High level of responsibility, dedication and accuracy required.
• Work on rare occasions requires more than 37.5 hours per week to perform essential duties of the job; may occasionally require irregular hours.
• Regular attendance at work.

Nice-to-haves

• Familiarity with the prosecution of U.S. Trademark applications a plus.
• Familiarity with electronic case management systems and USPTO rules and requirements. IPFolio, Memotech, etc. is a plus.

Benefits

• a competitive salary
• a comprehensive benefits package that includes employee medical, dental, vision, life, AD&D insurance, short- and long-term disability, 401(k) match, and ten firm holidays.

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