IP Practice Group Director & Strategy Lead

Dorsey & Whitney LLP; Seattle (WA); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Dorsey & Whitney LLP seeks a Practice Group Director to drive the success of firm-wide Practice Groups (Patent, Trademark, Regulatory Affairs, Labor & Employment, and Construction Litigation). In this highly visible role, you’ll partner with Practice Group leadership and administrative functions to align priorities, drive operational excellence, and champion people-centered processes across groups.

You’ll lead system initiatives, staffing models, and budgets; supervise the IP Practice Manager;

Qualifications

• At least 10–15 years of supervisory and management experience.
• At least 7 years of patent and trademark experience, including U.S./foreign filing, prosecution, maintenance, and docketing.
• Thorough knowledge of U.S. and foreign patent and trademark rules and procedures, and best practices for patent and trademark operations.
• Strong leadership and project management skills; ability to manage multiple initiatives under pressure; advanced stakeholder management and influence without authority.
• Excellent collaboration and communication skills, strong analytical ability, and sound judgment managing sensitive personnel and risk issues.
• Willingness to learn and evaluate how emerging technologies can enhance operations, including AI tools.

Responsibilities

• Act as a strategic advisor to firm and Practice Group leadership on operational, people-related, and administrative matters; identify needs and opportunities and lead initiatives to advance priorities.
• Lead operational and systems initiatives within Patent and Trademark practices, including workflow design, staffing models, quality controls, resource allocation, and cross-department coordination; supervise IP Practice Manager.
• Partner with HR, Finance, Information Services, Knowledge Management, Marketing, etc. to advance Practice Groups’ priorities and implement firm initiatives.
• Lead people-focused initiatives, policies, and processes at the Practice Group level, including onboarding/offboarding, succession planning, training, and performance management.
• Coordinate with Finance on budgets, reporting, staffing models, profitability, and matter management; monitor trends to recommend 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, track progress, and help remove roadblocks; promote communication across Practice Groups and admin teams; address morale and retention.

Skills

Leadership

Project management

Stakeholder management

Communication

Analytical ability

Budgeting

Education

Advanced degree preferred

Tools

AI tools knowledge

Job description

Dorsey & Whitney LLP seeks a Practice Group Director to drive the success of firm-wide Practice Groups (Patent, Trademark, Regulatory Affairs, Labor & Employment, and Construction Litigation). In this highly visible role, you’ll partner with Practice Group leadership and administrative functions to align priorities, drive operational excellence, and champion people-centered processes across groups.

You’ll lead system initiatives, staffing models, and budgets; supervise the IP Practice Manager;