McCarter & English LLP is seeking an IP Specialist for our Hartford, CT office. If you have the appropriate experience, we invite you to consider joining our team. Please send your resume and cover letter to the attention of Christine Lydon, Esq., at recruiting@mccarter.com.
We are looking for a detail-oriented, highly motivated IP Specialist eager to gain hands-on, practical legal experience working for an innovative firm. You will get the opportunity to handle a variety of intellectual property issues as well as assist and interact closely with talented attorneys handling trademark and patent prosecution and portfolio management.
You will largely operate independently to prepare correspondence to and communicate with clients regarding upcoming deadlines, prepare and submit electronic filings with the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO), and communicate with foreign law firms to manage trademark and patent filings in foreign countries. You will also use your business acumen, strong work ethic, and excellent communication skills to strengthen relationships with clients and problem-solve in a collaborative environment. Salary range for this position is $70,000-$95,000 annually, depending on experience.
Job Responsibilities:
- Reviewing client dockets for upcoming deadlines, preparing correspondence to clients notifying them of deadlines and the requirements therefor, and following up with them as needed;
- Preparing electronic forms for trademark filings in the USPTO, including trademark applications, responses to office actions, extensions, statements of use, declarations of use and incontestability, applications for renewal, and specimens of trademark use;
- Preparing electronic forms for trademark filings in the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO), including international applications for registrations and other miscellaneous WIPO filings;
- Communicating with foreign law firms to provide instructions for filing and prosecuting foreign trademark applications and to address their requests for powers of attorneys and other filing information;
- Assisting in trademark clearance searches, including conducting searches in the USPTO and Saegis databases;
- Preparing electronic forms for patent filings in the USPTO, including provisional and utility patent applications, information disclosure statements, and responses to office actions;
- Preparing formal documents for patent filings in the USPTO, including declarations, powers of attorney, assignments, and other formal documents as required by foreign patent offices; and
- Maintaining and organizing electronic patent and trademark files.
Job Skills & Qualifications:
Preferred:
- Ability to handle multiple projects independently, meet deadlines, and be a strong team player as part of a client-oriented team; and
- Strong attention to detail, excellent communication (both written and verbal), organizational and interpersonal skills.
Requirements:
- Ability to prepare and electronically file trademark and patent documents in the USPTO;
- 2-3 years of intellectual property experience, including using an IP practice management system in a law firm or IP corporate legal department setting;
- Experience with monitoring patent and trademark dockets; and
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office (e.g. Word and Excel) and billing software(s).
Benefits (if FTE requirements met):
- Firm-Paid: Basic life and accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance and short-term (ST) and long-term (LT) disability benefits.
- Health & Wellness: Comprehensive medical/prescription drug coverage (the Firm pays a share of the cost), including a high deductible health plan with an annual Firm health savings account (HSA) contribution.
- Employee-Paid Voluntary Benefits: Dental and vision coverage, supplemental health plans (accident, cancer and critical illness), flexible spending accounts, optional life and AD&D insurance (supplemental employee, spouse and child) and supplemental STD coverage.
- Retirement: 401(k) plan offering three types of contributions: pre-tax, Roth and after-tax contributions.
- Time Off: Paid Time Off (PTO), paid holidays, and leaves of absence to support work-life balance (e.g. parental leave)
Additional Benefits:
- Free and confidential employee assistance program (EAP) and behavioral health services program
- Firm-paid back-up child/elder care, academic support and pet care program
- Tax-advantaged college savings 529 Plan
- Employee discounts through Working Advantage
Other Compensation:
- Eligibility for discretionary bonus.
McCarter & English, LLP is an Equal Opportunity Employer.