IP US Filing Specialist

Cooley•Seattle, WA

8d•Hybrid

About The Position

Cooley is seeking an IP US Filing Specialist to join the IP Services team. This role provides full support to patent attorneys, agents, and clients in filing and maintaining US applications and patents. The position operates under a hybrid schedule philosophy, balancing in-office collaboration with the flexibility of remote work. Employees on a hybrid work schedule must work from their regular state of residence during remote days and be within a commutable distance of a Cooley office.

Requirements

After orientation at Cooley LLP, exhibit proficiency in the Microsoft Office suite, iManage and other firm applications
Available to work overtime, as required
3+ years relevant IP experience

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s Degree
Previous law firm experience
Experience researching IP status and history in PTO databases, including USPTO systems (PatentCenter), WIPO Patentscope and, the EPO Patent Register, as well as public databases in other jurisdictions
Possess working knowledge and keep abreast of rules according to USPTO procedures, 37 C.F.R., the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure (MPEP) rules

Responsibilities

Coordinate with IP professional staff, patent practitioners and clients with respect to assigned US patent prosecution matters
Analyze correspondence received from USPTO to ensure accuracy of information for docketing purposes; forward all USPTO mail to Client Team and provide timely reminders of upcoming dates
Prepare and review required documents for filing; upload of same with the USPTO all US patent prosecution filings, including applications, (utility or design, provisional, nonprovisional, divisional, continuation, and national stage), responses to any PTO actions or examinations, petitions, terminal disclaimers, issue fee payments, etc
Prepare, file and report of US formalities (e.g., POAs, assignments, declarations, drawings), and non-substantive USPTO documents, such as filing receipts, publications, along with preparation of reminder letters to clients of upcoming deadlines
Handle and report all substantive USPTO actions with input from Responsible Attorney, including preparing draft amendments/responses to official actions and notices to file missing parts, obtaining identified references, processing notices of allowance including attending to the Notice of Allowance Review Form in coordination with the Patent Prosecution Specialist and Patent Practitioner, addressing any inventorship/assignment issues, and preparing related paperwork (e.g., extensions, RCEs, corrected ADSs, name changes, maintenance fee addresses, etc.)
Proof and forward Letters Patent to the client
Provide client support for portfolio management, including accommodating client-specific reporting guidelines, and responding to client phone calls and/or emails relating to specific requests or reports
Sustain working knowledge of US patent prosecution rules and recommend procedural modifications to accommodate changes as needed
Maintain a secondary docket of due dates for each assigned client as outlined in the Patent Prosecution Policies and Procedures Manual
Review docket reports and provide detailed annotations related to upcoming dates daily
Complete administrative tasks including maintenance of client data rooms, responding to deadlines and changes to dockets, along with other communication with the central Docketing Department, run patent reports, transfer in/out of patent matters and other special projects as assigned with support of assigned administrative staff, where applicable
Communicate regularly with the assigned Patent Prosecution Specialist (PPS) regarding the timing of filing IDSs, as well as reporting any IDS filed to the client