Career Center

Primary Responsibilities

• Developing and implementing patent filing strategies.
• Conduct interviews with clients to obtain invention disclosures.
• Prepare patent applications under the supervision of a patent attorney.
• Analyze office actions and prepare responses under the supervision of a IP partner or attorney.
• Conduct interviews with Patent Office examiners and other patent prosecution-related activity.
• Assist in formulating and preparing infringement and validity opinions, work on patent post-grant proceedings, assist in patent and other litigation, and support intellectual property licensing and other transactions.
• Write scientific and technical documents in clear concise English.
• Effectively manage a docket with multiple clients and deadlines.
• Conduct legal and technical research and analysis using all available resources in support of various patent-related matters.
• Work closely with attorneys, other agents, and staff to research the invention and draft the specifications using technical expertise in the field.
• Follow the ethical requirements as set forth by the Firm’s professional liability insurer.
• Various other tasks as requested/needed.

Candidate can choose to be based in one of the following offices:  San Diego, Los Angeles, Silicon Valley, San Francisco, Austin, or Virginia.

Qualifications

• The qualified candidate must have a Ph.D. in biological sciences, preferably immunology, virology, molecular biology, cell and gene therapy, biochemistry, cell biology, or genetics.
• Successful completion of the patent agent examination.
• 3+ years of experience preparing and prosecuting patents.  
• Must have excellent attention to detail, strong interpersonal communication skills, and be a highly-motivated, business-minded, team player.
• Must be able to learn new technologies quickly and have a strong ability to write scientific and technical documents in clear, concise English.
• Effectively manage multiple matters simultaneously with various deadlines.
• Must have excellent attention to detail, strong interpersonal communication skills, and be a highly-motivated, business-minded, team player.
• Possess the technical and analytical skills necessary to conduct complex and detailed analysis of patent-related matters.
• 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.

Qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records will be considered for the position in accordance with the California Fair Chance Act. The salary for this position is $175,000-$200,000.

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.

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