Senior Trademark Paralegal

Microsoft•Washington, DC

3d•$77,800 - $168,800

About The Position

Microsoft’s Corporate, External and Legal Affairs (CELA) organization seeks an experienced Senior Trademark Paralegal. In this role, you will help drive Microsoft’s worldwide trademark practice by partnering with attorneys, business stakeholders, and outside counsel to deliver clearance, prosecution, enforcement support, and portfolio operations on a global scale. A successful candidate thrives in a dynamic environment with competing deadlines, demonstrates good judgment in managing risk / deadlines / stakeholder needs, and brings operational excellence, including familiarity with, and a desire to evolve the practice through AI and digital transformation. Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree AND 4+ years experience in Paralegal, Legal Administration, or relevant experience OR Paralegal Certification that meets the requirements for the location of work AND 5+ years experience in Paralegal work including international trademark clearance, prosecution, and enforcement experience, including knowledge of trademark docketing practices OR equivalent experience.

Nice To Haves

In-house trademark experience.
Demonstrated ability to balance legal risk against business priorities, with proactive client-service orientation.
Growth mindset and global mindset; ability to work effectively across cultures, geographies, and functions.
Effective organizational and analytical skills; ability to manage competing deadlines in a fast-paced, highly matrixed environment.

Responsibilities

Contribute to team vision, strategy, and stakeholder relationships: help implement core strategies and initiatives aligned to business priorities; build trusted partnerships across CELA and with business clients; support AI & digital transformation and practice innovation.
Trademark clearance and counseling: conduct global trademark availability searches using fee-based databases and common law resources; independently manage international clearance projects, including instructing and coordinating outside counsel and synthesizing results into actionable recommendations.
Trademark prosecution and portfolio operations: manage worldwide prosecution for assigned product groups, including filings, office action support, registrations, renewals, and docketing; draft goods/services descriptions and support global filing strategies.
Acquisitions and chain of title: support intake of newly acquired trademark portfolios, including coordination of assignments and timely recordal of chain-of-title documents globally.
Dispute resolution and brand enforcement: manage offensive and defensive disputes (including watch notices), gather evidence and background research, track deadlines, and support resolution strategies, including preparation and management of coexistence agreements.
Outside counsel coordination: partner with attorneys and team leadership to manage the global outside counsel network (including vendor onboarding/offboarding, invoice processing, and budget tracking as needed), ensuring quality, responsiveness, and on-time, on-budget delivery.
Operational excellence: continuously improve processes, templates, and playbooks; help drive consistent intake, reporting, and metrics; identify automation opportunities and champion adoption of approved tools (including AI-enabled workflows).