Job Description
You picked patent litigation because you wanted to actually try cases — not because you wanted to spend three years in a doc review queue waiting for someone to hand you a deposition outline. But that's where most of you end up. At the big general practice firms, patent litigation is one practice group competing for resources against fifty others. You're staffed deep on a single matter, you see one slice of one case, and the partner running the trial team is someone you've met twice. By the time you're a fourth year, you've drafted a lot of invalidity contentions and second-chaired exactly one deposition. That's not how you build a trial lawyer. A premier IP litigation boutique in Dallas — the kind of shop that tries patent cases against the largest firms in the country and wins — is hiring a junior patent litigation associate. This is a lean, elite team where junior associates take depositions, argue motions, and stand up in court because there isn't a fifth year buffer between you and the work. The previous associate just left on a sabbatical to travel the world. They don't replace people often. The work includes: Patent litigation in district court, the ITC, and at the PTAB across telecom, semiconductors, software, and e-commerce technologies Drafting pleadings, dispositive motions, claim construction briefing, and invalidity/infringement contentions Taking and defending depositions of fact and expert witnesses Working directly with technical experts on expert reports and trial preparation Direct client and co-counsel contact from day one What you bring: 1-5 years of patent litigation experience at a major firm Technical degree (EE, CS, computer engineering, or similar) strongly preferred Texas bar or eligibility to obtain What you get: A boutique platform where junior associates actually try cases — not a generalist firm where patent lit is one of fifty practice groups Meaningful courtroom and deposition reps in your first few years, not your eighth The kind of trial training you can't get at a full-service firm at any price This seat doesn't open often. Reach out directly or send your resume confidentially to srushing@laterallink.com.