Patent Prosecution Associate – Tech & Life Sciences

Watts & Associates Recruitment; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 215,000 - 270,000; Full time

Job summary

Watts & Associates Recruitment is assisting a highly regarded Am Law 100 firm with an Intellectual Property Associate role across Washington, DC; Boston, MA; New York, NY; Princeton, NJ plus additional locations. You will draft and prosecute patents, manage portfolios and interact with inventors and in-house teams.

Ideal candidates have 4–6 years of patent prosecution experience, strong drafting and communication skills, and a technical background in engineering or CS.

Qualifications

• Approximately 4–6 years of substantive patent prosecution experience.
• Experience handling patent prosecution and portfolio strategy for sophisticated clients.
• Strong drafting, analytical, organisational and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to manage multiple workstreams and meet deadlines.
• Technical background in electrical engineering, computer science, software or related field preferred.
• USPTO registration required or strongly preferred, depending on office and role requirements.
• ANDA, Hatch‑Waxman or life-sciences patent experience advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Draft and prosecute patent applications and manage domestic and international portfolios.
• Work with inventors and in-house legal teams to understand complex technology and develop protection strategies.
• Prepare responses, conduct prior-art analysis and advise on freedom-to-operate and portfolio development.
• Coordinate with foreign counsel and support due diligence, licensing and other IP‑related transactions.
• Coordinate with attorneys and professionals across related practice areas and offices.

Skills

Patent prosecution

Portfolio strategy

Legal research

Client communication

Education

Engineering/CS background

Job description

Watts & Associates Recruitment is assisting a highly regarded Am Law 100 firm with an Intellectual Property Associate role across Washington, DC; Boston, MA; New York, NY; Princeton, NJ plus additional locations. You will draft and prosecute patents, manage portfolios and interact with inventors and in-house teams.

Ideal candidates have 4–6 years of patent prosecution experience, strong drafting and communication skills, and a technical background in engineering or CS.