Life Sciences Technical Specialist/Patent Agent

A law firm in San Francisco, CA, is seeking a Life Sciences Technical Specialist/Patent Agent with at least 1 year of experience as a practicing patent agent in the field of life sciences or 2 years of professional experience in life sciences. The successful candidate will be responsible for preparing, filing, and prosecuting patent applications before the USPTO, engaging in practice development activities, and providing high-quality legal services to domestic and foreign clients.

Duties:

• Prepare, file, and prosecute patent applications before the USPTO.
• Protect inventions with technical merit, ensuring high-quality legal services to clients.
• Perform prior art searches and analysis to assess patentability.
• Conduct patentability analysis and IP due diligence.
• Engage in practice development activities to build and maintain client relationships.
• Prepare substantive client correspondence and instruct local counsel for foreign filings and Office Actions.
• Assist in patent clearance studies and other patent-related opinion projects.
• Study and analyze scientific or technical documents to assess patentability, novelty, and inventiveness.
• Convert provisional applications into utility applications and vice versa.
• Convert foreign filed applications into U.S. applications and vice versa.
• Advanced expertise in molecular biology, cell biology, and/or biochemistry.

Requirements:

• 1+ year of experience as a practicing patent agent in the field of life sciences or 2 years of professional experience in life sciences.
• Advanced degree (Masters or PhD) in a biological field such as Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Microbiology, or Biomedical Engineering with excellent academic credentials.
• Registered to practice before the USPTO.
• Excellent writing and research abilities.
• Proficiency in written and verbal communication.
• Strong organizational skills.

Education and Certifications:

• Advanced degree (Masters or PhD) in a biological field.
• Registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Skills:

• Proficiency in patent preparation, filing, and prosecution processes.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to conduct thorough prior art searches and patentability analysis.
• Excellent writing and research abilities.
• Effective communication and client management skills.
• Detail-oriented with strong organizational skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.

Benefits Offered:

• 401(k) plan.
• Company-sponsored medical, dental, vision, life, disability, accidental death and dismemberment, business travel accident insurance plans.
• Health savings and flexible spending accounts for the employee and eligible dependents.

This large law firm opened with a labor and leveraged-leasing practice and quickly built a substantial corporate and litigation practice. Today, the firm focuses its practice on business and finance, investment management, litigation, labor and employment, real estate and environmental issues. Attorneys at the firm enjoy a faily casual, though conservative, environment where partners tend to be collegial and offer excellent formal and informal training programs. In addition to recieving fair market salaries, associates at the firm have the opportunity to participate in award winning pro bono work.