Patent Prosecution Legal Assistant (hybrid)

MERCHANT & GOULD PC; Atlanta (GA); Hybrid; USD 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Merchant & Gould, a leading intellectual property law firm, seeks a highly skilled patent prosecution legal assistant with 5+ years of U.S. patent prosecution experience. Proficiency with PTO policies, electronic filing, and strong organizational skills are required.

Hybrid position, with a minimum of three days in the office. Responsibilities include managing patent files, docketing, client communication, and assisting attorneys in prosecuting patent applications in the United States and

Qualifications

• Requires 5+ years in U.S. patent prosecution.
• Familiarity with USPTO rules and filing procedures.
• Experience with electronic case management systems is preferred.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and organization.

Responsibilities

• Establishes and maintains patent files and prepares filing documents.
• Reviews PTO correspondence and essential docketing.
• Maintains client portfolios and facilitates attorney-client communication.
• Keeps docketing log up to date and supports attorney in prosecution tasks.
• Communicates with attorneys, clients and foreign associates; handles other admin tasks as assigned.

Skills

Patent prosecution

USPTO rules

Docketing management

MS Office

Education

BA degree and/or paralegal certificate or 5 years patent prosecution

Tools

IPFolio

Memotech

Job description

About the job

Merchant & Gould has been a leader in intellectual property law for more than 100 years. We are recognized as one of the most active filers of patents in the country, and are consistently rated among the top patent, copyright and trademark firms. The salary range for the position is $65,000-$85,000, based on years of experience.

We are looking for a highly skilled patent prosecution legal assistant with five+ years of experience in U.S. patent prosecution. Knowledge and experience with policies and procedures pertaining to the PTO and electronic filing are required. The professional we seek must be a positive self‑starter, extremely organized, detail-oriented and highly accurate, deadline-driven, have strong computer skills and excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Summary of Position (hybrid):

Provides client management support for attorney, not limited to written and verbal communications with clients along with maintaining docket and client specific procedures. Assists attorney in prosecuting patent applications in the United States and various foreign countries.

In order to perform one (1) or more essential functions of this role, a minimum of three (3) days in the office is required.

Responsibilities

1. Establishes and maintains patent files: opens files, prepares documents for filing including patent applications, Preliminary Amendments, Information Disclosure Statements, Responses to Missing Parts, Assignments, Amendments, payments of Issue Fees, etc.
2. Reviews all incoming correspondence from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and foreign associates for essential docketing.
3. Maintain clients’ portfolios by being proactive in facilitating communication between attorney and client.
4. Maintains and updates docketing log spreadsheet.
5. On‑going verbal and written communication with attorneys, clients and foreign associates.
6. Other administrative tasks and projects as may be assigned.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required

• BA degree and/or paralegal certificate or minimum of 5 years experience in U.S. patent prosecution.
• Familiarity with electronic case management systems and USPTO rules and requirements. IPFolio, Memotech, etc. is a plus.
• Familiarity with the prosecution of U.S. Trademark applications a plus.
• Ability to work comfortably with advanced computer software (after training) and effectively use and maintain a computer database. Knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook) required. Possible use of speech-to-text transcription software.
• Ability to work independently and meet critical deadlines under supervision of attorney.
• Ability to organize and prioritize numerous tasks and complete them under time constraints.
• Ability to concentrate on detailed work for up to 80% of work day.
• Interpersonal skills necessary in order to communicate and follow instructions from a diverse group, including clients, attorneys and others, and to provide information with ordinary courtesy and tact.
• High level of responsibility, dedication and accuracy required.
• Work on rare occasions requires more than 37.5 hours per week to perform essential duties of the job; may occasionally require irregular hours.
• Regular attendance at work.

Benefits

We are equally committed to providing competitive, affordable health and wellness benefits to help take care of yourself and your family, including a competitive salary, a comprehensive benefits package that includes employee medical, dental, vision, life, AD&D insurance, short- and long-term disability, 401(k) match, and ten firm holidays.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Merchant & Gould provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training. We welcome candidates with disabilities. If you need any accommodation during the application or the recruiting process, please contact our Human Resources Department at 1-612-332-5300.