Life Sciences Technical Specialist/Patent Agent

A law firm in Philadelphia, 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 candidate will be responsible for preparing, filing, and prosecuting patent applications before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) while providing high-quality legal services to domestic and foreign clients.

Duties:

• Prepare, file, and prosecute patent applications before the USPTO.
• Protect inventions consistent with their technical merit and provide high-quality legal services to clients.
• Perform prior art searches and analysis.
• Conduct patentability analysis and IP due diligence.
• Engage in practice development activities to build and maintain client relationships.
• Prepare substantive client correspondence.
• 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 foreign filed applications into U.S. applications.
• Advanced concepts application in any life sciences field, with particular emphasis on molecular biology, cell biology, and 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 Ph.D.) in a biological field such as Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Microbiology, or Biomedical Engineering with excellent academic credentials.
• Registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
• Excellent writing and research abilities.
• Proficiency in written and verbal communication.
• Strong organizational skills.

Education and Certifications:

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

Skills:

• Proficiency in preparing, filing, and prosecuting patent applications.
• Strong analytical and critical thinking abilities.
• Attention to detail and accuracy.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Commitment to providing high-quality legal services.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to build client relationships.

This is one of the top law firms in the country to work forin its huge Philadelphia office, this firm draws rave reviews. Although much more a large firm atmosphere than most of the East Coast (non-New York) based firms, this firm has one of the most exciting full service practices around. However, it is not easy to get in with this fairly elite group of attorneys--they are very picky about their candidates. The culture here is fairly competitive--although the partners take care of their own, this is a group of high powered professionals who are used to acheiving at very high levels--and used to beating out the guy next door. This internal drive will keep associates staying later and later to earn bragging rights on occasion--but it's not as if the work isn't abundant enough to keep you there.