Assistant General Counsel, Intellectual Property

Johnson Health Tech Companies•Cottage Grove, WI

About The Position

The Assistant General Counsel, Intellectual Property serves as a strategic legal advisor responsible for overseeing and safeguarding the organization’s intellectual property portfolio for its home fitness products. This role provides enterprise-wide guidance on IP strategy, risk management, and compliance, while partnering closely with business leadership to support innovation, commercialization, and long-term value creation. This is a supervisory position. Intellectual Property Strategy and Governance: Develop, implement, and maintain the global intellectual property strategy for the organization’s home fitness products in alignment with business objectives Oversee the acquisition, protection, maintenance, and enforcement of patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets Establish and uphold IP policies and best practices Legal Advisory and Risk Management: Advise senior leadership and cross-functional stakeholders on IP risks, opportunities, and mitigation strategies Provide legal guidance on product development, research initiatives, branding, marketing, and commercialization activities Conduct freedom-to-operate analyses and manage IP-related due diligence for mergers, acquisitions, and strategic transactions Responsibilities: Contracts and Transactions: Draft, review, and negotiate IP-related agreements, including licenses, collaboration agreements, joint development agreements, and technology transfers Support commercial transactions by ensuring appropriate ownership, usage rights, and protections Litigation and Enforcement: Manage intellectual property disputes, claims, and litigation, including oversight of outside counsel Lead enforcement actions and defense strategies related to infringement, misappropriation, or unfair competition Cross-Functional Partnership: Partner with R&D, product, engineering, marketing, and business development teams to embed IP considerations into decision-making Educate internal stakeholders on IP fundamentals, compliance requirements, and risk awareness Operational Excellence: Manage external counsel and service providers, including patent prosecution firms and IP vendors Monitor legal and regulatory developments impacting intellectual property and advise on implications Support budgeting, forecasting, and cost control related to IP activities Management: Manages staff such as paralegals. Engages in the typical responsibilities of a manager, requiring planning, evaluating, organizing, integrating, and controlling. Supervisory: Responsible for staffing, terminations, disciplinary actions, training, and developing subordinates Responsible for completing adequate performance documentation on time. Responsible for ensuring the accuracy of timecards and approving them in a timely manner. Marginal Job Functions: Other legal projects as needed.

Requirements

Juris Doctor from an accredited law school
Active license to practice law in at least one U.S. jurisdiction
USPTO registered patent attorney
Typically, 8 to 12 years of relevant legal experience, with significant focus on patents
Experience in a law firm and in-house legal department preferred
Demonstrated experience managing IP portfolios
High degree of integrity, discretion, and professionalism
Strategic mindset with strong business acumen
Collaborative leadership style with the ability to influence across functions
Sound judgment under pressure and comfort navigating ambiguity
Ability to travel on occasion

Nice To Haves

Experience in a law firm and in-house legal department preferred

Responsibilities

Develop, implement, and maintain the global intellectual property strategy for the organization’s home fitness products in alignment with business objectives
Oversee the acquisition, protection, maintenance, and enforcement of patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets
Establish and uphold IP policies and best practices
Advise senior leadership and cross-functional stakeholders on IP risks, opportunities, and mitigation strategies
Provide legal guidance on product development, research initiatives, branding, marketing, and commercialization activities
Conduct freedom-to-operate analyses and manage IP-related due diligence for mergers, acquisitions, and strategic transactions
Draft, review, and negotiate IP-related agreements, including licenses, collaboration agreements, joint development agreements, and technology transfers
Support commercial transactions by ensuring appropriate ownership, usage rights, and protections
Manage intellectual property disputes, claims, and litigation, including oversight of outside counsel
Lead enforcement actions and defense strategies related to infringement, misappropriation, or unfair competition
Partner with R&D, product, engineering, marketing, and business development teams to embed IP considerations into decision-making
Educate internal stakeholders on IP fundamentals, compliance requirements, and risk awareness
Manage external counsel and service providers, including patent prosecution firms and IP vendors
Monitor legal and regulatory developments impacting intellectual property and advise on implications
Support budgeting, forecasting, and cost control related to IP activities
Manages staff such as paralegals.
Engages in the typical responsibilities of a manager, requiring planning, evaluating, organizing, integrating, and controlling.
Responsible for staffing, terminations, disciplinary actions, training, and developing subordinates
Responsible for completing adequate performance documentation on time.
Responsible for ensuring the accuracy of timecards and approving them in a timely manner.
Other legal projects as needed.