Career Center

Primary responsibilities of the position include developing and implementing patent filing strategies, conducting interviews with clients to obtain invention disclosures, preparing patent applications under the supervision of a patent attorney, analyzing office actions and preparing responses under the supervision of a patent attorney, conducting interviews with Patent Office examiners and other patent prosecution-related activity, assisting in formulating and preparing infringement and validity opinions, working on patent post-grant proceedings, assisting in patent and other litigation, and supporting intellectual property licensing and other transactions. Additional duties include writing scientific and technical documents in clear concise English; effectively managing a docket with multiple clients and deadlines; conducting legal and technical research and analysis using all available resources in support of various patent-related matters; working closely with attorneys, other agents, and staff to research the invention and draft the specifications using technical expertise in the field; following the ethical requirements as set forth by the Firm’s professional liability insurer; and performing various other tasks as requested/needed. Candidate can choose to be located in one of the following offices: San Diego, Los Angeles, Silicon Valley, San Francisco, Austin, or Virginia.

Candidate must be patent-bar qualified. Ideal candidate must be a registered patent agent with 2+ years of experience preparing and prosecuting patents. Candidate preferably has experience writing software, ideally in several layers of a software stack, or a degree in electrical engineering, computer science, computer engineering or a related field. Familiarity with applied mathematics, statistics, data science, machine learning, or natural language processing is helpful. Proficiency in written English is required. Successful candidate must have excellent attention to detail, strong interpersonal communication skills, be highly motivated, business-minded, a team player, able to learn new technologies quickly, and have a strong ability to write well. Candidate must be able to effectively manage multiple matters simultaneously with various deadlines and possess the technical and analytical skills necessary to conduct complex and detailed analysis of patent-related matters. Candidate must also possess the interpersonal skills necessary to communicate with a diverse group of attorneys, staff, and clients and provide information with courtesy and tact in person, electronically, and by phone.

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

About Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman

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.

Show more

Show less

Connections working at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman