In-House Patent Counsel

State Farm•Bloomington, IL

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

State Farm is seeking an experienced patent attorney who is agile, collaborative, and strategic to join its Intellectual Property (IP) legal team. This position is based at its corporate headquarters in Bloomington, Illinois, and is classified as a hybrid role. The patent attorney will be a key member of the State Farm Corporate Law Department, assisting in the management and protection of the company’s large and growing intellectual property portfolio. This role focuses on patent prosecution, strategic IP counseling and managing outside counsel. You will work closely with internal inventors across the enterprise, IT professionals, and business leaders to identify, protect, and leverage innovations across a wide breadth of topics, including but not limited to software, data analytics, telematics, artificial intelligence, fintech and insuretech. Additional responsibilities will be to review and advise on IP contract terms and agreements.

Requirements

Juris Doctorate (J.D.) from ABA accredited law school and excellent academic credentials
Registered with the USPTO as a member of the patent bar
Active law license in at least one state and a member in good standing of the bar
3+ years of patent law experience, with a strong mix of top-tier law firm experience and/or in-house corporate legal department experience
Deep technical fluency with software architecture, cloud services, artificial intelligence/machine learning, data security, mobile applications and fintech/insuretech systems, open-source software, large language models, mobile applications, vehicle and home telematics, databases, and data collection pipelines and processing logic
Proven track record of drafting and successfully prosecuting complex software patent applications
Experience with patent opinions and patent litigation and related discovery and motion practice.
Experience with reviewing, drafting and negotiating intellectual property related contracts and contractual terms directed to ownership and use of intellectual property and data
Exceptional communication skills, with the ability to translate intricate technical concepts into clear legal and business strategies for non-technical inventors and leadership
Commitment to providing quality legal advice, learning agility (including demonstrated willingness to develop expertise in new subject matters), and a history of enthusiastic participation in a team environment
Must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. immediately; sponsorship is not available

Nice To Haves

Preferred technical degree in computer programming, computer engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, statistics, or data science
If not already licensed to practice law in Illinois, you will need to obtain at least an in-house limited license for this role, submit an application to the Illinois Board of Admissions within 90 days from your start date, actively pursue the licensure, and keep your supervisor informed throughout the process

Responsibilities

Draft and prosecute patent applications before the USPTO.
Manage patent portfolios in collaboration with outside counsel.
Partner with a wide array of business areas (IT, R&D, Claims, etc) to identify patentable inventions, evaluate emerging technologies and align IP strategy with enterprise business goals.
Conduct freedom-to-operate, infringement and validity analysis to help guide product development and mitigate IP risks.
Review, draft and negotiate IP-related provisions in commercial agreements, technology licenses, joint development agreements and vendor contracts.
Assist with patent disputes, including coordinating with outside counsel, supporting opinions, and responding to discovery.
Conduct training sessions for internal inventors and leadership regarding invention harvesting, trade secret protection and intellectual property best practices.
Provide practical, business-focused legal advice on a wide range of intellectual property issues, balancing legal risk with organizational objectives.
Partner with business leaders to proactively identify legal risks and implement practical solutions.
Collaborate across the Law Department and with internal stakeholders on emerging legal issues, policy development, and strategic initiatives impacting State Farm intellectual property.

Benefits

Compensation is based on our standard 38:45-hour work week
Potential starting salary range: $137,000.00 - $200,000.00
Starting salary will be based on skills, background, and experience
High end of the range limited to applicants with significant relevant experience
Potential yearly incentive pay up to 30% of base salary
Annual raise and bonus
Robust health and wellbeing programs
State Farm pays most of your healthcare premium
Multiple healthcare plan options, including a high deductible plan
All medical plans provide 100% coverage for in-network preventative care
Access to vision, dental, telemedicine, 24/7 mental health professionals
Educational benefits like industry leading training programs
Top-notch tuition assistance programs
Employee resource groups
Mentoring
Fertility/IVF/adoption assistance
College coaching
National discount programs
Interactive monthly financial workshops
Free financial coaching
Ability to start a savings account or consider financing through our State Farm Federal Credit Union
Generous time off policies
Opportunity to initially earn up to 20 days annually plus parental leave
Paid holidays
Celebration day
Life leave (40 hours/year)
Bereavement leave
Community service/education support days
Matching Gift Program
Good Neighbor Grant Program
Employee Assistance Fund
Free financial advisors
401(k) plan with company contributions of up to 7% of your salary