Job Description
You went to law school with a CS or EE degree because you wanted to litigate the cases where the technology actually matters. Instead, you're a fourth-year on a patent litigation team where the partners think the technology is something the experts handle. You spend your days drafting claim charts, managing document review, and writing the technical sections of briefs that someone else argues. The Markman hearings, the IPR oral arguments, the depositions of the named inventors — those go to the senior associates and partners who, half the time, don't understand the technology as well as you do. You're the one who can actually read the source code. You're the one who can explain why the accused product reads on the claim. And you're the one watching from the back of the room. Palo Alto is the patent litigation market. The cases that actually move the law on software patents, hardware architectures, and computer-implemented inventions are happening in NDCal and at the PTAB — and they're happening to clients who are headquartered within a 20-mile radius of where you're sitting. You should be in the room when those cases are argued, not three years away from it. A premier IP boutique with one of the deepest electrical and computer technology benches in the country is hiring a mid-level to senior patent litigation associate in Palo Alto. This is a dedicated IP firm — not a generalist litigation group that takes patent cases when they come in. The team has roughly 100 professionals with EE, CS, and related technical backgrounds, and many came from industry before law school. The technology fluency runs from the partners down. The work includes: Patent litigation in district court, ITC, and Federal Circuit appeals on computer hardware and software matters Inter partes reviews and post-grant proceedings before the PTAB Matters spanning AI, semiconductors, networking, data compression, telecommunications, and adjacent technologies Direct technical engagement with inventors, experts, and clients — not just supporting the partner who does What you bring: 4-6 years of patent litigation experience, with substantive IPR/PTAB work Bachelor's degree in computer science, computer engineering, electrical engineering, or related Strong writing — this group lives and dies by the brief USPTO registration preferred but not required California bar or eligibility What you get: A platform where your technical degree is the asset, not a line on your bio A practice that promotes from within and gives mid-levels real argument and deposition experience Top-of-market compensation + bonus This seat doesn't open often at this firm, and they're hiring for one role. Reach out directly or send your resume confidentially to srushing@laterallink.com