Counsel, Patents & IP

Socotra, Inc.; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 176,000 - 220,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Lyft credits

Lyft Pink membership

Commuter benefits

Parental leave 18 weeks

401(k) match

Paid time off

Mental health benefits

Child & pet benefits

Job summary

Lyft is seeking a Patent Counsel to lead the company’s patent function, advising on open source, reviewing public disclosures, and guiding IP strategy across engineering and business units.

You will report to the Senior Director, IP, and collaborate with engineers, researchers, and other lawyers to make patent law approachable while supporting Lyft’s global expansion and autonomous-vehicle initiatives.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of patent prosecution experience
• Experience advising on open source license compliance
• Must be a member of the Patent Bar and understand patent law outside litigation
• Must be proactive, self-directed, organized with exceptional communication skills
• Adaptable with ability to shift between deep legal work and high-volume counseling
• Demonstrate comfort with AI tools in day-to-day work

Responsibilities

• Own the patent portfolio end to end: invention harvesting, disclosure meetings, portfolio mining, and directing patent filings with outside counsel
• Drive patent strategy and decisions based on technical merit and cost, manage portfolio health
• Counsel on open source license review and compliance risk for inbound/outbound OSS
• Review public disclosures for IP risk and confidentiality considerations
• Provide strategic portfolio advice and counsel stakeholders on IP protection globally
• Support IP diligence for partnerships, M&A, and vendor relationships
• Educate product and engineering teams on IP matters and build scalable tools and processes

Skills

Patent prosecution

Open source compliance

Patent Bar member

Communication skills

Cross-functional collaboration

AI fluency

Education

Juris Doctor (JD)

BS/MS in CS/Engineering

Job description

At Lyft, our purpose is to serve and connect. We aim to achieve this by cultivating a work environment where all team members belong and have the opportunity to thrive.

This position will manage Lyft's patent function — driving the strategy and day-to-day management of our patent portfolio — while also advising on the company's approach to open source, reviewing technical publications before they go external, and serving as a trusted advisor on IP questions across the business. This position will report to the Senior Director, Associate General Counsel, IP. Beyond the legal chops, we're looking for someone who genuinely enjoys building relationships — you'll spend as much time with engineers and researchers as you will with lawyers, so a warm, curious, low-ego style goes a long way here. We value people who can make patent law feel approachable rather than intimidating, who bring a sense of humor to a fast-moving environment, and who are as excited about celebrating an inventor's first disclosure as they are about closing out a tricky filing decision. This is a great opportunity for someone to come in and manage the patent function at Lyft, working on cutting-edge issues spanning Lyft's global expansion, Lyft Urban Solutions' mobility hardware and software business, and supporting the deployment and expansion of autonomous vehicles on Lyft's network.

Responsibilities:

• Own the patent portfolio end to end for the company — invention harvesting, invention disclosure meetings, portfolio mining, and directing patent application preparation and prosecution by outside patent counsel.
• Drive patent strategy and drive filing, continuation, and abandonment decisions based on technical merit, competitive landscape, and cost, and own portfolio health and reporting against product roadmaps.
• Counsel and collaborate with engineering on open source license review and approval for inbound and outbound open source, including license compatibility and compliance risk.
• Review papers, blog posts, conference talks, and other public technical disclosures for IP and confidentiality risk and relevant counseling.
• Provide broad-based strategic and portfolio advice as well as counseling key stakeholders in protecting and defending IP rights worldwide.
• Support IP diligence for partnerships, M&A, and vendor relationships.
• Train and educate product and engineering teams in intellectual property matters, and build tools, policies, and processes that scale with the business.

Experience:

• 5+ years of patent prosecution experience in a relevant area; in-house patent portfolio building/management experience a plus.
• Experience advising on open source license compliance.
• Must be a member of the Patent Bar and have substantial understanding of patent law outside of litigation.
• Must be proactive, self-directed, detail oriented, organized, and have exceptional communication skills.
• Adaptable and positive under shifting priorities, with the flexibility to move between deep legal work and lighter-touch, high-volume counseling on any given day.
• Demonstrate AI fluency and comfort using AI tools in day-to-day work.
• JD required.
• BS or MS in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent technical field.
• State bar membership.
• Eligible to practice before the US Patent and Trademark Office.
• Sense of humor and comfort with shifting priorities.

Benefits:

• Great medical, dental, and vision insurance options with additional programs available when enrolled
• Mental health benefits
• Family building benefits
• Child care and pet benefits
• 401(k) plan with company match to help save for your future
• In addition to 12 observed holidays, salaried team members have discretionary paid time off, hourly team members have 15 days paid time off
• 18 weeks of paid parental leave. Biological, adoptive, and foster parents are all eligible
• Subsidized commuter benefits
• Monthly Lyft credits and complimentary Lyft Pink membership

Lyft is an equal opportunity employer committed to an inclusive workplace that fosters belonging. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regards to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, age, genetic information, or any other basis prohibited by law. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with applicable federal, state and local law.

Lyft highly values having employees working in-office to foster a collaborative work environment and company culture. This role will be in-office on a hybrid schedule — Team Members will be expected to work in the office 3 days per week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Lyft considers working in the office at least 3 days per week to be an essential function of this hybrid role. Your recruiter can share more information about the various in-office perks Lyft offers. Additionally, hybrid roles have the flexibility to work from anywhere for up to 4 weeks per year. #Hybrid

The expected base pay range for this position in the New York City area is $176,000 - $220,000, not inclusive of potential equity offering, bonus or benefits. Salary ranges are dependent on a variety of factors, including qualifications, experience and geographic location. Your recruiter can share more information about the salary range specific to your working location and other factors during the hiring process.