Global IP Paralegal

HARMAN International • Novi, MI

3d • $73,500 - $107,800 • Hybrid

About The Position

As a Patent Paralegal, you will support the Intellectual Property Group in managing and protecting HARMAN’s global patent portfolio across a diverse range of technologies. The Patent Paralegal will partner closely with in-house attorneys, inventors, business leaders, and outside counsel to support patent prosecution activities, portfolio management, docketing, reporting, and intellectual property operations. This position requires strong organizational skills, attention to detail, sound judgment, and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment. The ideal candidate is proactive, client-focused, and comfortable working independently while collaborating across global teams. A high degree of professionalism, discretion, and integrity is essential, along with experience supporting both U.S. and foreign patent matters. The HARMAN Intellectual Property Group manages a broad range of intellectual property matters, including patent and trademark prosecution, licensing, litigation, and IP due diligence on a global scale. Our team is committed to maintaining high-quality data and processes that enable exceptional service to our internal clients. Reporting to the Senior Paralegal, IP Operations, you will join a collaborative team of paralegals supporting multiple attorneys, business partners, and inventors worldwide. This role offers the opportunity to contribute to a portfolio of cutting-edge technologies while working alongside experienced legal and IP professionals.

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience as a Patent Paralegal, Patent Legal Assistant, or Patent Legal Secretary within a law firm or corporate legal department.
• 3+ years of experience working with IP management systems and patent docketing databases; Anaqua experience strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience managing patent prosecution dockets, analyzing patent bibliographic data, calculating and maintaining due dates, and coordinating with attorneys, clients, and outside counsel.
• Strong working knowledge of U.S. patent prosecution procedures, PCT processes, and foreign patent filing requirements and deadlines.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint, and the ability to work effectively across multiple databases and systems.
• Experience generating and analyzing reports from IP management, billing, and business systems.
• Proven ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment while meeting deadlines and adapting to changing business needs.
• Exceptional attention to detail, organizational skills, and problem-solving abilities.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including professional business correspondence, proofreading, and stakeholder engagement.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a global, cross-functional team environment.
• Business fluency in English and familiarity with intellectual property terminology.

Nice To Haves

• Working knowledge of European and other foreign Patent rules and procedures highly preferred.
• Working knowledge of Trademarks, Trade Secrets, Defensive Publications, and Copyrights preferred.
• Experience producing graphs and charts in Excel, and presentations in PowerPoint, highly preferred.
• Experience working with the Anaqua I.P. Management system highly preferred.
• Experience working with legal billing systems preferred, with high preference for experience with Thomson Reuters’ Legal Tracker (Serengeti) billing system.
• Some college preferred.
• A command of business and legal terminology preferred.

Responsibilities

• Support in-house patent attorneys throughout all phases of U.S. and foreign patent prosecution, including coordination of filings managed by outside counsel.
• Maintain accurate and complete records for global patent matters, including invention disclosures, patent applications, prosecution activities, correspondence, due dates, cost information, and related legal matters within Anaqua, Legal Tracker, and other systems.
• Monitor and maintain patent dockets, ensuring the accuracy of bibliographic data, deadlines, and matter-related information across multiple databases and records.
• Prepare, coordinate, and process patent-related documents, including declarations, assignments, powers of attorney, petitions, and other prosecution-related filings.
• Serve as a key liaison among in-house attorneys, inventors, business leaders, and domestic and international outside counsel to facilitate patent filings, gather information, obtain required approvals, and support ongoing portfolio activities.
• Track and maintain records of communications, strategic portfolio information, and other confidential intellectual property matters provided by attorneys, business stakeholders, and external partners.
• Generate, analyze, and distribute patent portfolio reports, prosecution dockets, invention disclosure reports, foreign filing reports, and other information used by legal, business, and financial stakeholders.
• Collaborate with the global IP Operations team on departmental initiatives, process improvements, best practices, and data quality efforts.
• Provide guidance and training to internal clients, inventors, outside counsel, and team members on IP processes, database usage, and Legal Department procedures.
• Serve as a backup for other paralegals and provide general administrative and project support to the Intellectual Property Group as needed.

Benefits

• health, dental, vision, and life insurance
• flexible spending
• 401K
• Access to employee discounts on world-class HARMAN (JBL, HARMAN/Kardon, AKG, etc.) and Samsung products.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Associate degree