IP Senior Legal Assistant

Chemours; Wilmington (DE); On-site; USD 74,000 - 116,000; Full time

Job summary

Chemours in Wilmington, Delaware seeks an Intellectual Property Senior Legal Assistant to support the IP team in managing patent dockets and the prosecution process. The role entails coordinating communications with patent offices worldwide, maintaining deadlines, and preparing formal documents for filing and prosecution.

The ideal candidate has a H.S. diploma or GED with 5–8 years’ IP experience and strong familiarity with US and non-US patent procedures, ePCT Portal, USPTO/Patent Center, and

Qualifications

• H.S. Diploma or GED with 5-8 years’ relevant experience.
• Strong understanding of US and non-US patent processes and formalities.
• Proficiency with ePCT, USPTO/Patent Center, MS Office, Adobe Acrobat and docketing systems.
• Ability to resolve patent docket issues independently.

Responsibilities

• Manage communications from patent offices and docketing; file and maintain dockets.
• Review daily dockets for deadlines and draft response templates.
• Coordinate US citations, review office actions and organize references.
• Prepare and submit formal documents for filing and prosecution of patents.
• Oversee patent maintenance and maintain accurate portfolio data in the docket system.
• Collaborate within the IP Group to streamline processes and lead projects.

Skills

Patent docketing

US & international patent processes

Document management

MS Office proficiency

Adobe Acrobat

Education

High school diploma or GED

Tools

ePCT Portal

USPTO Patent Center

Microsoft Office

Adobe Acrobat

Electronic docketing system

Anaqua AQX

Job description

As we create a colorful, capable and cleaner world through chemistry, we invite you to join our team to harness the power of chemistry to shape markets, redefine industries and improve lives for billions of people around the world.

Chemours is seeking an Intellectual Property (IP) Senior Legal Assistant to join our growing IP team! This position will be located at our Wilmington, Delaware location.

The IP Senior Legal Assistant is a key role within the IP Group that manages the formal requirements and maintenance of the Company’s patent portfolio and dockets, and assists attorneys and patent agents with the filing and prosecution of patents.

The responsibilities of the position include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Managing communications incoming from government patent offices (including US and non-US patent offices) and legal agents, docketing and filing the communications as appropriate, responding to communications regarding formalities, and maintaining electronic docket folders.
• Reviewing practitioners’ dockets daily for deadlines and actions due, and creating response templates/forms as needed.
• Coordinating US reference citations including reviewing all incoming office actions and search reports for cited references, cataloguing references cited in patent families, and preparing formal documents for submission of additional references to the USPTO and relevant foreign countries.
• Managing and preparing formal documents for filing and prosecuting patents, obtaining necessary information, signatures, notarizations, legalizations and copies of other necessary documents, submitting them to the US or PCT patent office or legal agent for such submittal; and resolving any issues with the document formalities directly with the USPTO and legal agents in relevant countries.
• Managing the formalities of the patent maintenance process by coordinating with patent practitioners and external legal service providers to maintain and generate an accurate patent maintenance record, and instructing and overseeing timely patent maintenance.
• As one of the IP Group managers of the Company’s IP docket database, monitoring and addressing database performance with the service provider, staying current on provider’s changes to the database architecture and uses, sharing with the IP Group and assisting or leading adoption of changes, and using the system to maintain the integrity of the Company’s patent portfolio data.
• Participating as a full member of the IP Group, including identifying and actively engaging in projects to simplify work processes.

The following is required for this role:

• H.S. Diploma or GED with a minimum of 5-8 years’ relevant experience
• Mastery understanding and hands-on experience of the US and non-US patent processes including all formal and procedural aspects of those processes.
• Experienced user of ePCT Portal, USPTO/Patent Center, Microsoft Office applications, Adobe® Acrobat, electronic docketing system
• Ability to identify, handle and resolve significant issues regarding patent docket without support

The following is preferred for this role:

• Experience with Anaqua (AQX) patent and spend management system

In our pursuit to be the greatest place to work, we know that a critical element to enhancing our employee experience is to assure we’re operating with a solid foundation of trust. At Chemours, this means being transparent about how we pay our employees for the work that they do.

Pay Range (in local currency):

• $73,947.00 - $115,542.00
• Chemours Level: 23
• Annual Bonus Target: 6%

The pay range and incentives listed above is a general guideline based on the primary location of this job only and not a guarantee of total compensation. Factors considered in extending a compensation offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, and alignment with market data. The incentive pay is dependent on business results and individual performance and subject to the terms and conditions of the specific plans.

At Chemours, you will find sustainability in our vision, our business and your future. If you want to work on the leading edge of your field and have a desire to make a difference, join Chemours and discover what it means when we say "We Are Living Chemistry."