Corporate Counsel, Patent Licensing & Transactions

Amazon; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 153,900 - 208,200; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance (medical, dental, etc

401(k) matching

Paid time off

Parental leave

Job summary

Amazon is seeking a Corporate Counsel for its Patent Licensing & Transactions team to drive high-stakes licensing and strategy for a vast IP portfolio. You will manage pre-litigation assertions, structure licenses, and partner with engineers, litigators, and leaders to solve complex IP challenges globally.

The role emphasizes experience in IP transactions and licensing, with preferred locations in Seattle, WA or Arlington, VA, and some travel may be required.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of post bar admission legal experience.
• Juris Doctor and membership in one state bar or equivalent.
• 3+ years experience with IP transactions, such as licenses, cross-licenses, or patent settlement agreements
• 7+ years of Inhouse legal or law firm experience
• Experience managing multiple projects and priorities across teams in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment
• Significant experience with IP transactions, including negotiating complex patent licenses, cross-licenses, joint development agreements, and patent purchase/sale agreements
• Familiarity with SEP/FRAND concepts and practical experience negotiating within those frameworks
• Experience with domestic and international patent litigation, including multi-jurisdiction litigation campaigns
• Excellent communication skills, able to explain complex IP and business issues to audiences at all levels
• Proven ability to learn diverse technology areas, including consumer devices, cloud infrastructure, digital content and streaming, AI/ML, robotics, and wireless communications

Responsibilities

• Evaluate and manage pre-litigation patent assertions — from discussions with individual inventors to global SEP campaigns across multiple businesses
• Structure, draft, and negotiate patent licenses, cross-licenses, and settlement agreements
• Develop templates, playbooks, and scalable processes to efficiently address recurring IP risks and issues
• Identify and execute strategic patent acquisitions, including negotiating patent purchase and sale agreements and joint development agreements
• Partner with patent litigation and prosecution colleagues to align strategy and priorities across licensing, litigation, and portfolio development
• Manage outside counsel on complex negotiations and transactions, balancing quality, speed, and cost

Skills

IP licensing

Patent litigation

Negotiation

Stakeholder comms

Project management

In-house experience

Global IP strategy

Education

Juris Doctor

Tools

Legal research tools

Job description

Amazon is seeking an exceptional Corporate Counsel for our Patent Licensing & Transactions team, where you'll drive high-stakes patent licensing and transactions and help shape strategy for one of the world's most valuable IP portfolios.

Working with a small but creative team, you'll manage pre-litigation patent assertions and build processes to track and respond to licensing opportunities. You'll partner with business leaders, patent engineers, and litigators to solve complex global IP problems with practical solutions — even when the facts are ambiguous and the law is unclear.

The ideal candidate for this role pairs a strong patent licensing background with some patent litigation experience. Seattle, WA or Arlington, VA are the preferred locations, although New York, NY may be considered. Occasional domestic or international travel may be required.

Key job responsibilities

• Evaluate and manage pre-litigation patent assertions — from discussions with individual inventors to global SEP campaigns across multiple businesses
• Structure, draft, and negotiate patent licenses, cross-licenses, and settlement agreements
• Develop templates, playbooks, and scalable processes to efficiently address recurring IP risks and issues
• Identify and execute strategic patent acquisitions, including negotiating patent purchase and sale agreements and joint development agreements
• Partner with patent litigation and prosecution colleagues to align strategy and priorities across licensing, litigation, and portfolio development
• Manage outside counsel on complex negotiations and transactions, balancing quality, speed, and cost

A day in the life

Your primary focus is managing pre-litigation patent assertions, from evaluating licensing opportunities to negotiating and closing major patent licensing deals. You'll collaborate daily with patent engineers and attorneys to dive into technology and work with litigators and business leaders to align on strategy. No two days look the same — you might spend your morning negotiating a deal and your afternoon developing strategy for patent pool engagement.

About the team

This fast-moving team focuses on strategic patent licensing, pre-litigation patent assertions, and collaborations with universities and standards-development organizations. The team tackles complex IP challenges across Amazon's entire broad portfolio of technologies and products.

• 5+ years of post bar admission legal experience
• Juris Doctor and membership in one state bar or equivalent
• 3+ years experience with IP transactions, such as licenses, cross-licenses, or patent settlement agreements
• 7+ years of Inhouse legal or law firm experience
• Experience managing multiple projects and priorities across teams in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment
• Significant experience with IP transactions, including negotiating complex patent licenses, cross-licenses, joint development agreements, and patent purchase/sale agreements
• Familiarity with SEP/FRAND concepts and practical experience negotiating within those frameworks
• Experience with domestic and international patent litigation, including multi-jurisdiction litigation campaigns
• Excellent communication skills, able to explain complex IP and business issues to audiences at all levels
• Proven ability to learn diverse technology areas, including consumer devices, cloud infrastructure, digital content and streaming, AI/ML, robotics, and wireless communications

Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected veteran status, disability, or other legally protected status.

Our inclusive culture empowers Amazonians to deliver the best results for our customers. If you have a disability and need a workplace accommodation or adjustment during the application and hiring process, including support for the interview or onboarding process, please visit https://amazon.jobs/content/en/how-we-hire/accommodations for more information. If the country/region you’re applying in isn’t listed, please contact your Recruiting Partner.

The base salary range for this position is listed below. Your Amazon package will include sign-on payments and restricted stock units (RSUs). Final compensation will be determined based on factors including experience, qualifications, and location. Amazon also offers comprehensive benefits including health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D insurance and option for Supplemental life plans, EAP, Mental Health Support, Medical Advice Line, Flexible Spending Accounts, Adoption and Surrogacy Reimbursement coverage), 401(k) matching, paid time off, and parental leave. Learn more about our benefits at https://amazon.jobs/en/benefits.

USA, NY, New York - 169,300.00 - 229,000.00 USD annually

USA, VA, Arlington - 153,900.00 - 208,200.00 USD annually

USA, WA, SEATTLE - 153,900.00 - 208,200.00 USD annually