IP Practice Director & Operations Strategist

Dorsey & Whitney LLP; Phoenix (AZ); Hybrid; USD 184,000 - 265,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive pay

Excellent benefits

Paid parental leave

Job summary

Dorsey & Whitney LLP is seeking a Practice Group Director to lead the Patent, Trademark, Regulatory Affairs, Labor & Employment, and Construction Litigation practice groups. In this high-visibility role, you’ll partner with practice leadership and administrative teams to align priorities with firm initiatives and drive people-centered processes across groups.

You’ll oversee workflow design, staffing, budgeting, and performance management while promoting collaboration and continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• 10–15 years of supervisory/management experience.
• 7+ years of patent and trademark experience (US/foreign filing, prosecution, docketing).
• Knowledge of U.S./foreign patent and trademark rules and procedures.
• Strong leadership, project management, stakeholder influence.
• Experience with budgeting, forecasting, and performance reporting.
• Familiarity with AI tools in operations.

Responsibilities

• Act as strategic advisor to firm and Practice Group leadership on operational, people-related, and administrative matters; identify needs and opportunities and lead designated initiatives to advance Practice Groups' priorities.
• Lead operational and systems initiatives within Patent and Trademark practices, including workflow design, staffing models, quality controls, resource allocation, and cross-department coordination; maintain deep knowledge of U.S. and foreign prosecution workflows and drive continuous improvement. Supervise Intellectual Property Practice Manager.
• Partner with administrative functions (HR, Finance, Information Services, Knowledge Management, Marketing, etc.) to advance Practice Groups’ priorities and facilitate effective implementation of firm initiatives and processes within Practice Groups.
• Lead people-focused initiatives, policies, and processes at the Practice Group level, including onboarding and offboarding, succession planning, training and career development, workload management, performance management, compensation, and associate advancement to partnership.
• Coordinate with Finance on budgets, reporting, staffing models, profitability, and matter management; monitor industry and internal trends to recommend operational enhancements.
• Facilitate client reporting and budget tracking; collaborate with Marketing on cross-practice initiatives, sponsorships, conferences, RFPs, and intranet content.
• Support Practice Groups’ strategic business plans, clarify priorities, track progress, and help remove roadblocks; promote consistent communication across Practice Groups and administrative teams; identify and address morale, retention, and performance challenges.

Skills

Leadership

Project management

Stakeholder management

Communication skills

Analytical ability

Judgment

Budgeting knowledge

AI tools familiarity

Collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Dorsey & Whitney LLP is seeking a Practice Group Director to lead the Patent, Trademark, Regulatory Affairs, Labor & Employment, and Construction Litigation practice groups. In this high-visibility role, you’ll partner with practice leadership and administrative teams to align priorities with firm initiatives and drive people-centered processes across groups.

You’ll oversee workflow design, staffing, budgeting, and performance management while promoting collaboration and continuous improvement.