IP Litigation Support Project Manager

Epiq; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 55,104 - 68,880; Full time

Job summary

Epiq is seeking a Project Manager to lead the operational delivery of complex pharmaceutical IP litigation matters, including Hatch-Waxman ANDA and BPCIA disputes, coordinating legal, scientific, regulatory, and business teams.

You will drive planning, scheduling, governance, and reporting, partnering with in-house and outside counsel, vendors, and R&D to ensure timely milestones, budget discipline, and clear executive communications.

Qualifications

• Proven experience managing complex litigation or legal operations programs with multiple workstreams.
• Strong project management capabilities, including scheduling, risk tracking, and executive reporting.
• Experience coordinating discovery, vendors, and data-intensive workflows in a defensible manner.
• Ability to operate effectively across legal, scientific, regulatory, and business stakeholders.
• Demonstrated strength in budget management, vendor governance, and financial oversight.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to translate complexity into clear, actionable insights.
• Highly organized, self-directed, and able to manage competing priorities in fast-paced environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead matter intake and develop clear scope, assumptions, risk assessments, budgets, and milestone-driven plans.
• Coordinate key litigation activities, including discovery, expert engagement, claim construction, and trial preparation.
• Establish clear roles, reporting cadences, and escalation pathways across stakeholders.
• Partner with R&D, regulatory, and commercial teams to support IP strategy and litigation readiness.
• Oversee document and data workflows, including collection, review, production, and tracking.
• Support phase-based forecasting, accruals, and spend tracking, and manage outside counsel and vendor performance.
• Deliver concise, executive-ready reporting on status, risks, milestones, and financials.

Skills

Litigation management

Project scheduling

Risk tracking

Executive reporting

Discovery coordination

Budget management

Communication skills

Cross-functional collaboration

Job description

At Epiq, your work contributes to complex, global legal outcomes. You’ll join a values‑driven community where integrity guides decisions, relentless service sets the bar, and we thrive on big challenges together. We invest in your growth with enterprise‑wide learning and mobility. We celebrate who you are, and we respect life beyond work with flexibility that’s recognized externally. Enabled by modern platforms and AI, you’ll do the most meaningful work of your career and see your impact at scale.

Job Description:

The Project Manager serves as the operational lead across the full lifecycle of complex pharmaceutical IP litigation matters, including Hatch-Waxman ANDA and BPCIA biosimilar disputes. This role drives disciplined planning, execution, and governance while coordinating cross‑functional stakeholders across legal, scientific, regulatory, and business functions.

The ideal candidate combines strong legal operations rigor with the ability to manage highly technical, data‑intensive litigation environments.

Key Responsibilities

Matter Planning & Execution

• Lead matter intake and develop clear scope, assumptions, risk assessments, budgets, and milestone‑driven plans
• Proactively identify and resolve issues, ensuring continuity and disciplined execution throughout the matter lifecycle
• Maintain integrated timelines, dashboards, and status reporting across active matters

Litigation & Workstream Management

• Coordinate key litigation activities, including discovery, expert engagement, claim construction, and trial preparation
• Support document collection, docket monitoring, and preparation of key filings and notices
• Ensure alignment and execution across legal, expert, and technical workstreams

Governance & Cross-Functional Coordination

• Establish clear roles, reporting cadences, and escalation pathways across stakeholders
• Align legal, scientific, regulatory, and business teams through structured communication and planning
• Drive accountability and transparency from intake through resolution

Scientific & Technical Support

• Partner with R&D, regulatory, and commercial teams to support IP strategy and litigation readiness
• Organize and manage complex scientific and technical materials, including clinical and lab data
• Support Freedom to Operate (FTO) assessments and early‑stage risk evaluations

Information & Data Management

• Oversee document and data workflows, including collection, review, production, and tracking
• Coordinate vendor activities across data‑intensive and technically complex datasets
• Ensure defensible, organized processes aligned with litigation requirements

Budget & Vendor Oversight

• Support phase‑based forecasting, accruals, and spend tracking
• Manage outside counsel and vendor performance, invoicing, and compliance with agreed terms
• Provide financial transparency and reporting across all resources

Process, Technology & Reporting

• Support implementation and effective use of litigation tools and processes
• Recommend best practices across project management, data management, and workflow optimization
• Deliver concise, executive‑ready reporting on status, risks, milestones, and financials

Cross‑Functional Collaboration

This role requires strong collaboration across a diverse stakeholder group:

• In‑house legal leadership: Strategy alignment, risk management, and decision support
• Outside counsel: Coordination of deliverables, timelines, staffing, and reporting
• Scientific & technical teams: Fact development and expert preparation
• Regulatory stakeholders: Alignment on FDA milestones and exclusivity considerations
• Finance, procurement, and vendors: Budgeting, contracting, and performance oversight

Required Qualifications

• Proven experience managing complex litigation or legal operations programs with multiple workstreams
• Strong project management capabilities, including scheduling, risk tracking, and executive reporting
• Experience coordinating discovery, vendors, and data‑intensive workflows in a defensible manner
• Ability to operate effectively across legal, scientific, regulatory, and business stakeholders
• Demonstrated strength in budget management, vendor governance, and financial oversight
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to translate complexity into clear, actionable insights
• Highly organized, self‑directed, and able to manage competing priorities in fast‑paced environments

Preferred Experience

• Pharmaceutical, biotech, or life sciences litigation experience
• Familiarity with Hatch‑Waxman ANDA or BPCIA biosimilar disputes
• Experience supporting expert‑driven, technical litigation matters
• Exposure to e‑billing, legal spend management, and outside counsel oversight
• 5–10 years in legal operations or litigation project management
• Background in law firm or in‑house litigation support environments

Success Measures

• Matters are launched with clear plans, governance structures, and financial discipline
• Cross‑functional teams remain aligned and informed throughout execution
• Discovery, expert, and trial activities are timely, organized, and well‑managed
• Leadership receives accurate, concise reporting on status, risks, and spend
• Outside counsel and vendors meet defined performance and cost expectations

The Compensation range for this role is $40-$50 USD hourly and may be eligible for an annual bonus.

Your specific salary will be determined based on several factors:

• Location‑based market ratefor the role
• Your abilitiesin relation to the job specification
• Performanceduring screening and interview
• Pay paritywith the wider team in the considered location

Further details about the package will be provided during the initial screening call with the Talent Acquisition Team.

Epiq Leadership Compass

Fosters Relationships & Collaboration

Builds trust and alignment through open communication, shared goals, and strong partnerships to drive collective success.

• Build trust‑based partnerships
• Nurture long‑term relationships
• Remove collaboration barriers
• Celebrate cross‑team success

Engages & Influences

Inspires action and alignment through clear communication, purposeful influence, and a compelling vision.

• Use storytelling to build buy‑in
• Align communication with organizational goals
• Guild alignment through strong engagement

Maximizes Performance

Sets and reinforces performance standards that drive results, ensure accountability, and align with Epiq’s goals.

• Use data to identify improvement opportunities
• Make informed decisions
• Align team goals with boarder strategy
• Empower teams to manage their own goals
• Translate vision into clear priorities
• Prepare for disruptions with strong change management

Achieves Operational Success

Drives continuous improvement and operational excellence through smart processes, data insights, and quality execution.

• Improve workflows for team efficiency
• Use clear documentation and expectations
• Resolve issues quickly using data and feedback

It is Epiq’s policy to comply with all applicable equal employment opportunity laws by making all employment decisions without unlawful regard or consideration of any individual’s race, religion, ethnicity, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expressions, transgender status, sexual and other reproductive health decisions, marital status, age, national origin, genetic information, ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, veteran or family status or any other basis protected by applicable national, federal, state, provincial or local law. Epiq’s policy prohibits unlawful discrimination based on any of these impermissible bases, as well as any bases or grounds protected by applicable law in each jurisdiction. In addition Epiq will take affirmative action for minorities, women, covered veterans and individuals with disabilities. If you need assistance or an accommodation during the application process because of a disability, it is available upon request. Epiq is pleased to provide such assistance and no applicant will be penalized as a result of such a request. Pursuant to relevant law, where applicable, Epiq will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.