Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman’s Intellectual Property Practice seeks a 3rd to 4th Year Associate with patent litigation experience, a technology background, and the demonstrated ability to litigate complex IP matters. Position is based in the San Francisco or Palo Alto office. Associate will handle all aspects of patent litigation on existing and new matters, including managing and supervising cases and serving as a mentor to junior associates.Â
Responsibilities include counseling clients, litigation case management, taking and defending depositions, drafting pleadings and briefs, managing discovery, and researching and analyzing complex technical issues.
Excellent academic credentials required including a J.D. from an accredited law school and bachelor’s degree with EE, Computer Science, or similar technical subject matters preferred. Experience with semiconductor technology is a plus. Successful candidate will possess exceptional writing, oral advocacy, analytical and technical skills (software or hardware). Top notch interpersonal, organizational and time management skills expected. Knowledge of ethics and conduct codes which are a requirement for the proper and legal practice of the law. Demonstrated ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment and provide the highest level of client service on a wide variety of highly sophisticated IP matters. Candidate must be admitted and in good standing as a member of the California State Bar. Qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records will be considered for the position in accordance with the California Fair Chance Act.
Pillsbury has been a long-time supporter of diversity, equity, and inclusion. The firm was among the first major law firms to promote women to partnership and the first large, national firm in the Unites States to elect a woman as its top leader. Today, DEI initiatives and programs are widespread across the firm.
Pillsbury is strongly committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our firm’s strategic plan includes a combination of internal and external initiatives. Internal initiatives are focused on, among other things, enhancing the experience of our diverse attorney population, increasing our retention and promotion rates, increasing the number of diverse attorneys in leadership roles, and increasing the number of diverse equity partners. Our employee resource groups include: (i) DiverseAbilities, serves as a resource and an advocate for employees with disabilities and their families, (ii) M.E.R.G. (Military Employee Resource Group), which supports active and retired military personnel and their families, (iii) Pillsbury Pride, a resource group for LGBTQ+ members and their allies, (iv) Black Excellence, focuses on the professional development of the firm's black business pro...fessionals, and (v) First Gen, provides support and development tools to individuals who are first generation professionals. Our business resource groups that focus on professional support and development and fostering business relationships include: (i) Women’s Impact Network and (ii) Attorneys of Color Network.
The firm’s external initiatives are focused on a number of different efforts, including: pipeline programs to provide mentoring for high school and college students while exposing them to legal careers; the development of a diversity scholarship program for college graduates entering law school; enhancing our visibility on law school campuses by educating students on the firm’s culture and commitment to diversity and inclusion, in addition to exposing them to new areas of law; being intentional about recruiting diverse lateral attorneys; and requesting a diverse candidate pool from our recruiters.
Year after year, Pillsbury’s inclusion efforts are recognized throughout the industry. Here are some examples of our accolades: Best Law Firm for Women for 13 years, 100 Best Companies for Women for 14 years, Best Companies for Dads in 2020, 100% score on Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index for LGBTQ+ equality since 2006, and in 2021 Yale Law Women ranked Pillsbury the Top Firm for Racial Justice Contributions.
