Patent Attorney/Patent Agent (PhD Required)

About Withersworldwide

Law.com International's Law Firm of the Year 2021

For 125 years, our firm has focused on helping successful people, businesses, families, entrepreneurs, governments, and institutions negotiate the wide range of legal issues they face. Over time, we have gained valuable insights into the ways wealth can be generated, preserved, deployed and enhanced. We assist our clients in a variety of industry sectors including life sciences, technology, real estate, manufacturing, fashion, brands and creatives, sport, hotels and hospitality, energy, art and cultural assets, charities and philanthropy and financial services. With 18 offices, our experience means we see the global picture. We provide legal advice across a range of different practice areas including corporate, venture, finance, tax, intellectual property, banking, access to capital (both private and public), immigration, international trust structuring, philanthropy, public international law and international arbitration. 

About Withers Intellectual Property Practice 

The Withers Intellectual Property team in is truly global. We focus on all areas of life science and technology, brands, and fashion. Our team focuses on growth and value creation throughout a company's life cycle. We have decades of experience creating, implementing, and monetizing intellectual property strategies. Our team includes former in-house counsels, inventors, and investors in global biotech. As a global firm, we are able to assist in the holistic growth of our companies, including transatlantic venture capital, cross-border M&A and access to growth capital.  We are now looking to hire ambitious candidates to help grow our intellectual property focused legal practice on a national and international basis.  

Why Withers? 

At Withers we offer our associates unprecedented opportunities to grow and prosper in a truly international law firm. From day one, we provide training and client-facing opportunities that will prepare you to represent and manage complex client relationships. We provide you with the tools you need to be a successful entrepreneurial partner. You will not simply be another cog in the machine; but rather an integral part of a growing and vibrant practice. We love what we do and we have a lot of fun doing it. We welcome you to reach out to us to learn more about our team.

The Role

Qualified candidates must have a PhD in a life sciences discipline (e.g., cell & molecular biology, immunology, genetics and/or biochemistry preferred), be registered to practice before the US Patent and Trademark Office, and have 4-7 years of experience drafting and prosecuting US patent applications, as well as experience with patent prosecution in foreign jurisdictions. Patent Attorney or Patent Agent candidates considered. Candidates should be comfortable with a range of technologies in the biotech/life science space (e.g., nucleic acid therapeutics, immunotherapeutics, delivery vehicles/vectors, etc.), and some experience with organic chemistry would also be a plus. Qualified candidates should have a desire to learn and produce in a collegial group possessing extensive academic research experience and a rapidly growing biotech practice, that also has a keen interest in helping to develop associates to achieve their full career potential. 

Key Skills and Experience

• A minimum of 5 years of experience with patent preparation and prosecution
• Admitted to practice before the US Patent and Trademark Office 
• Attorney Candidates: Admitted to and in good standing in at least one U.S. jurisdiction
• PhD degree in the life sciences (e.g., biology, cell & molecular biology, developmental biology, immunology, genetics, biochemistry, biomedical engineering, chemistry)
• Excellent scientific/technical ability and drafting skills
• Excellent application drafting and prosecution skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills—must be able to communicate effectively with both internal and external Firm contacts
• Must be a team player – you will be joining a collegial team where you will need to be able to synthesize partner-level instruction, while working with junior associates to achieve optimal client outcomes
• Must have a desire to learn and grow your skill set

Equal Opportunities Employment Statement 

It is the policy of Withersworldwide to provide equal opportunities for all employees in relation to recruitment, training and promotion.  Decisions in these areas will be made only by reference to the requirements of the job and shall not be influenced by any consideration of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, race (including colour, nationality and ethnic and national origin), religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.

If you are interested in applying for employment and need special assistance or an accommodation to use our website to apply for a position, please contact the firm at us.recruiting@withersworldwide.com with your request.  Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation are made on a case-by-case basis.