Patent Counsel

Job description

Preferred locations for this position are Herndon, Virginia; Chicago, Illinois; Houston, Texas; Berkeley Heights, New Jersey; Palo Alto, California; and Plano, Texas.
 
Position Summary
HP is an innovative, dynamic company with a rich past and a promising future. Started in a Palo Alto garage by Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard as a company that made audio frequency oscillators, HP has continuously reinvented itself. Today, HP is one of the world's leading technology companies and provides printing and personal computing products, IT and Cloud services, and hardware and software solutions for the next generation of IT infrastructure.
 
The Patent Development Group in HP's Office of the General Counsel (OGC) manages one of the largest patent portfolios in the world.  Our portfolio covers a wide range of technologies including PCs, printers, servers, storage, networking, enterprise software, enterprise services, and technologies originating in HP Labs.  The successful candidate for the Patent Counsel position will support the Patent Development Group's efforts to build and maintain a high quality patent portfolio that furthers the goals of HP's dynamic business.  More specifically, the successful candidate will be responsible for personally drafting and prosecuting strategic, high quality patent applications, while supporting the department in a number of other activities critical for its success.  
 
This unique opportunity will offer significant promotional and rotational opportunities throughout the OGC and the chance to build a career with HP as an IP attorney.  Successful candidates begin their careers in the Patent Development group and personally design their career path based on their goals and interests.  Future roles can include patent portfolio management in Patent Development, rotations to IP Transactions & Counseling or IP Sales & Licensing, and Director or VP level leadership roles. 
 
Key Responsibilities
The successful candidate's responsibilities in the Patent Counsel role are expected to include the following: 
Managing patent applications throughout the patent lifecycle by working directly with HP's inventor community, personally drafting and prosecuting high quality patent applications for strategically important inventions, and interacting with worldwide patent offices to secure valuable patent coverage
Actively participating in HP's invention disclosure review process to help ensure that HP's best inventions are identified and patented
Analyzing pending patent applications to determine their value to HP and to formulate a global filing strategy
Assisting patent portfolio managers with analysis of HP's patent portfolio, including preparation of claim charts
Collaborating with engineers in invention mining sessions, patent scrubs, and patent education sessions
Actively engaging in training, knowledge sharing, and other career development opportunities to hone technical and legal abilities and prepare for promotional or rotational opportunities
Participating from time to time as a member of a cross functional team to provide support in licensing, litigation, or other matters

Desired profile

The successful candidate is expected to possess the following qualifications and abilities: 
A B.S. degree and/or advanced degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Physics, or Computer Science
A J.D. degree from an accredited university and admission to a state bar 
Admission to practice before the USPTO
1 to 7 years of experience preparing and prosecuting patent applications
Strong academic credentials
Preference for candidates who have personally drafted at least 10 patent applications
Ability to work with clients in a team-oriented partnership to help them arrive at elegant solutions to their problems
Flexibility to accept new and different challenges in a fast paced, high-tech environment
Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing
A positive attitude, creative spirit, passion for IP law, and strong motivation to excel
 Please attach a resume, cover letter, and a recent writing sample, such as a published patent application and/or published Office Action response.