Patent Legal Assistant

Robert Hal
Costa Mesa, CA

A national law firm is seeking an IP Legal Assistant, with a focus on patent prosecution (prior experience in this practice area is a must-have). This firm boasts a 7.5 hour work day, beautiful renovated office with snacks, and we have placed 5 legal assistants here in the last two years - all are super happy!


Must-Have Requirements:

  1. 3+ years of patent prosecution experience, specifically
  2. Knowledge of how to file a patent application (and the ancillary documents) with the USPTO <-- the firm cannot train on this, please don't apply without fluency!
  3. Knowledge of how to docket/cross reference due dates within IP law.
  4. Ability to pivot multiple projects in a day, not easily frazzled.
  5. No plans for law school in the next 3 years.


Salary is contingent upon the experience above, but likely $70-90K. The firm also boasts excellent benefit plans, including but not limited to: medical, dental, vision, 401K, disability, and PTO.


Soft Skills:

o Ability to multitask and jump from one thing to another.

o Extremely high attention to detail. Should be able to catch if the partner misses a detail such as inventor name/filing deadline.

o Someone who takes direction well. Ideally, they’d say, “I’ve done this before, but how does your team do it?” Must have a learner mentality.

o Someone who is not a social butterfly, but is drama free!

o Someone who is not on their phone during the workday. <-- if you know this is you please do not apply; it will not be tolerated.


Perks of Firm:

· The IP attorneys are approachable, polite, and a congenial group.

· The Sr. legal assistant in the IP group, is a great trainer and has been with the firm for 22 years. She’s been doing IP for 30. Many staff have strong tenure!

· High level of respect for staff, no micromanaging, no drama.

· Firm prioritizes pro bono work, and partner closely with nonprofits.

· The firm administrator offers 1:1 career coaching.


Software:

Anaqua, NetDocs, inTapp, iTimekeeper, CPi, AMS, Adobe (bate stamping/labeling, signatures, page numbers). Knowledge of these systems is a huge plus.


To apply, send your resume directly to Melanie.Kent[at]RobertHalf[dotcom] with "OC IP Legal Assistant" as the subject line.