Trademark Operations Leader — Hybrid & Process Improvements

Fenwick & West; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 122,000 - 165,000; Full time

Job summary

Fenwick & West is seeking a Trademark Operations Manager to lead administrative and operational functions of the Trademark practice and manage support staff across multiple offices. The role emphasizes process optimization, leadership development, and accountability with quarterly travel to firm offices.

The position supports collaboration with attorneys and leadership to drive efficiency, establish workflow standards, and ensure high-quality service.

Qualifications

• Comprehensive expertise in U.S. and foreign trademark prosecution processes, docketing systems, and trademark operations infrastructure.
• Proven people-management experience, including leading, coaching, and developing teams.
• Experience with trademark docketing and practice management systems preferred.
• We're a team that embraces AI and innovation as part of how we work.
• Outstanding written, verbal, and organizational skills, with discretion and professionalism in handling confidential information.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership and management of Trademark Paralegals, including performance management, workflow planning, and team accountability.
• Manage and monitor billable targets and productivity metrics for Trademark Paralegals.
• Lead onboarding, training, and ongoing professional development for Trademark Paralegals.
• Directly manage the Trademark Transfer Specialist, including oversight of all trademark transfer-in and transfer-out processes.
• Directly manage the Trademark Practice Assistants and oversee all related administrative workflows.
• Create, maintain, and update trademark paralegal procedural manuals and workflow documentation.
• Foster a collaborative, high-performance team culture focused on accountability, engagement, and continuous improvement.
• Oversee and optimize trademark workflows to ensure timely, accurate, and consistent execution of trademark matters.
• Monitor workload distribution and proactively reassign resources to meet business needs and deadlines.
• Identify operational bottlenecks and implement process improvements to enhance efficiency and service quality.
• Collaborate with the trademark practice support lawyer to develop and maintain a resource page for trademark professional staff, ensuring content stays current, well-organized, and useful to the team.
• Serve as a key liaison between trademark attorneys, paralegals, practice leadership, and support teams.
• Monitor developments in trademark law, USPTO practice, and relevant procedural rules; assess their impact on the team's operations, forms, and workflows; implement necessary changes; and communicate updates to the team, providing training as needed.
• Provide operational insights and recommendations to leadership to support staffing, capacity planning, and business growth.
• Support change management initiatives and lead the implementation of new processes, tools, or organizational changes.
• Model strong leadership behaviors, including clear communication, coaching, accountability, and professional integrity.
• This role requires quarterly travel to firm offices where we have Trademark team members.

Skills

Trademark prosecution knowledge

People management

Docketing systems

AI and innovation mindset

Communication and organization

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Tools

Trademark docketing systems

Practice management systems

Job description

Fenwick & West is seeking a Trademark Operations Manager to lead administrative and operational functions of the Trademark practice and manage support staff across multiple offices. The role emphasizes process optimization, leadership development, and accountability with quarterly travel to firm offices.

The position supports collaboration with attorneys and leadership to drive efficiency, establish workflow standards, and ensure high-quality service.