IP Practice Team Specialist

IP Practice Team Specialist

Cooley is seeking an IP Practice Team Specialist to join the IP Services team.

 

Position Summary: The IP Practice Team Specialist (IP PTS) serves as the centralized point of contact responsible for providing high-level non-billable administrative practice management support to assigned Patent practitioners. The IP PTS supports the entire practice group and serves as the administrative liaison between clients and the firm.

 

Position Responsibilities:

Administrative and practice support:

• Take initiative to handle/support non-billable functions of the IP practice groups allowing the practitioners to focus on business development and billable client work
• Key point of contact for senior attorneys and practitioners, perceptively anticipate their need, liaison between partners and others inside and outside the firm, e.g. communicate with clients as needed
• Key administrative liaison for the integration of new practitioners
• Proactively oversee new client engagement and conflicts checks, draft and finalize waiver letters
• Draft audit letters and support the audit letter approval process
• Coordinate with and assist client transition team with intake, transfer, and disengagement tasks, for example, communicating with foreign agents as needed
• Create and maintain client and partner reference guides in coordination with the client teams
• Provide transition support to departing practitioners including monitoring email and voicemail accounts post departure
• Oversee all aspects of practice group meeting preparation and logistics (e.g., agenda, conference rooms, catering, outlook invitations, presentation materials)
• Support practitioners as needed to meet professional development requirements
• Arrange for and manage complex travel (domestic & international)

 

Billing and finance support:

• Proactively keep the pre-bill review process moving to lessen the attorney’s workload and take responsibility of timely returning pre-bills to Accounting
• Work in partnership with Financial Services and client account specialists to compile reports and analyze data as needed
• Serve as the liaison between client and collections on special billing requirements, discrepancies, write-offs and discounts as directed
• Request and analyze client billing charts and monitor client matter budgets
• Assist with the practice expense approval process
• Take initiative to process expense reimbursements
• Assist in the international invoice approval process, approve credit memos from international agents

 

Prosecution support:

• Monitor and maintain status charts for clients and practitioners to ensure prioritization and completion of timely filings; coordinate with the client service specialists and trademark paralegals, as appropriate regarding same; prepare reports of previous filings and upcoming deadlines
• Generate docket and status reports as needed
• Perform research and extract relevant IP information from official patent and trademark databases

 

Business development and marketing support:

• Coordinate and participate in specific initiatives related to client development efforts led by, and in conjunction with, members of the Marketing and Business Development team
• Prepare and maintain reports relating to pitches made to clients and potential clients as requested

 

Special projects:

• Conduct research for a variety of purposes, e.g. IP research on public and private databases, gather potential and current client information such as corporation/subsidiary information to update our records or for conflict checks, create a dossier for a partner or a client presentation
• Centralized point-of-contact for opening all IP pro bono matters
• Tracking diligence projects

 

General responsibilities:

• Act as a back-up to other IP PTS(s)
• Maintain high standards for internal/external client service and quality control
• Champion and promote diversity, equity and inclusion to help drive positive change
• Prepare and deliver oral and written communications that are