Patent Prosecution Legal Assistant – Hybrid

Merchant & Gould P.C.

Patent Prosecution Legal Assistant supporting attorney in managing patent applications and client communication. Requires 5+ years U.S.

Posted 7/11/2026full-timeDenver • Colorado • 🇺🇸 United StatesMid-LevelSenior💰 $70,000 - $90,000 per yearWebsite

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Provides client management support for attorney, not limited to written and verbal communications with clients along with maintaining docket and client specific procedures
Assists attorney in prosecuting patent applications in the United States and various foreign countries
Establishes and maintains patent files: opens files, prepares documents for filing including, patent applications, Preliminary Amendments, Information Disclosure Statements, Responses to Missing Parts, Assignments, Amendments, payments of Issue Fees, etc.
Reviews all incoming correspondence from U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and foreign associates for essential docketing
Maintain clients’ portfolios by being proactive in facilitating communication between attorney and client
Maintains and updates docketing log spreadsheet
On-going verbal and written communication with attorneys, clients and foreign associates
Other administrative tasks and projects as may be assigned

Requirements

What you’ll need

BA degree and/or paralegal certificate or minimum of 5 years experience in U.S. patent prosecution
Familiarity with electronic case management systems and USPTO rules and requirements. IPFolio, Memotech, etc. is a plus
Familiarity with the prosecution of U.S. Trademark applications a plus
Ability to work comfortably with advanced computer software (after training) and effectively use and maintain a computer database
Knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook) required
Ability to work independently and meet critical deadlines under supervision of attorney
Ability to organize and prioritize numerous tasks and complete them under time constraints
Ability to concentrate on detailed work for up to 80% of work day
Interpersonal skills necessary in order to communicate and follow instructions from a diverse group, including clients, attorneys and others, and to provide information with ordinary courtesy and tact
High level of responsibility, dedication and accuracy required
Work on rare occasions requires more than 37.5 hours per week to perform essential duties of the job; may occasionally require irregular hours
Regular attendance at work

Benefits

Comp & perks

competitive salary
comprehensive benefits package that includes employee medical, dental, vision, life, AD&D insurance, short- and long-term disability, 401(k) match, and ten firm holidays

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

Patent Application PreparationDocket MaintenanceInformation Disclosure StatementsResponses to Missing PartsAssignmentsAmendmentsIssue Fee PaymentsU.S. Trademark ProsecutionDatabase ManagementDetail-Oriented Work

Soft Skills

Interpersonal SkillsOrganizational SkillsTime ManagementCommunication SkillsAbility to Work Independently

Certifications

Paralegal Certificate