Associate General Counsel, Patent Prosecution

Role Summary

Associate General Counsel, Patent Prosecution, within AbbVie’s Intellectual Property, Transactions, and Innovation legal team. The role supports AbbVie’s pharmaceutical products and will be based in North Chicago, IL; Waltham, MA; South San Francisco, CA; or Irvine, CA with a hybrid work model (onsite 3+ days/week). Acting independently and with cross-functional teams, the Associate General Counsel will develop and implement intellectual property strategies for AbbVie’s products and product candidates.

Responsibilities

• Maximize AbbVie’s competitive position through creation and implementation of intellectual property strategies
• Provide legal advice and counsel to cross-functional R&D and business teams on a variety of IP-related matters
• Draft, file, and prosecute strategically useful patent applications worldwide both directly and through management of outside counsel
• Challenge and defend patents in IPR, opposition, interference, and other post-grant proceedings
• Conduct prior art searches, analyze third-party patent positions, and conduct due diligence to support business development activities

Qualifications

• Required: JD degree from an accredited law school, state bar admission enabling in-house practice (specific state not required), and registration to practice before the USPTO
• Required: 8+ years of experience practicing patent law as an attorney or patent agent at a law firm and/or life sciences company, including substantial U.S. and foreign patent prosecution
• Preferred: Experience with India, China, and emerging markets
• Required: Technical background relevant for pharmaceutical patent prosecution, including experience with small molecule and/or biological pharmaceutical discovery and development
• Required: Technical degree in a relevant field, such as molecular biology, biotechnology, biochemistry, biology, chemistry, chemical engineering, or biomedical engineering
• Required: Strong legal, analytical, communication, collaboration, and people skills
• Required: Demonstrated ability to manage complex projects to meet deadlines