Intellectual Property Counsel Jobs
Intellectual Property Counsel jobs are open across technology, pharmaceuticals, consumer goods, entertainment, and law firms, from staff counsel to senior and managing counsel, with specializations in patent prosecution, trademark portfolio management, and licensing. Scan the live roles below and apply to whichever ones fit.
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Vanguard’s Office of the General Counsel (OGC) addresses a wide range of complex and compelling legal and compliance issues. To continue to support its growing business, Vanguard is seeking an attorney in its Intellectual Property, Marketing and Communications Legal Team. As Assistant General Counsel, Intellectual Property, you will be responsible for a broad portfolio of intellectual property legal matters, including global patent portfolio management, trade secret protection and governance, technology transactions, research collaborations, and technology-focused intellectual property risk management.
In this role you will:
- Advise business and technology teams on intellectual property protection strategies for company innovations, including patent protection, trade secret protection, defensive publication, and other approaches to protecting and preserving intellectual property assets
- Support management of Vanguard’s global patent portfolio and oversight of outside patent counsel
- Support trade secret identification, protection, governance, and risk-management initiatives
- Negotiate and advise on technology transactions, research collaborations, and strategic partnerships
- Advise internal business teams and OGC colleagues on intellectual property issues arising in commercial, technology, procurement, and strategic transactions
- Assess and mitigate intellectual property risks associated with emerging technologies, third-party relationships, and internal technology development initiatives
- Assess and manage patent infringement allegations, trade secret misappropriation claims, pre-litigation IP disputes, IP litigation matters, and IP dispute settlement strategies, including oversight of outside counsel and coordination with business stakeholders
- Support development of templates, playbooks, governance frameworks, and training designed to strengthen intellectual property protection and risk management across the organization
What it takes:
- Minimum of 10 years of related legal experience; minimum of 8 years of professional intellectual property experience
- Undergraduate degree and Law degree (JD)
- Admission to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)
- Experience with patent and trade secret counseling and U.S. and foreign patent portfolio management
- Experience with drafting and negotiating intellectual property and technology-related agreements
- Experience using enterprise-approved artificial intelligence tools responsibly and effectively to support legal research, analysis, drafting, and efficient delivery of legal services
- Ability to balance business and legal needs and manage multiple projects at one time
- Exceptional leadership, organizational and interpersonal skills
- Consistent track record of success serving and navigating relationships with internal and/or external parties, including influencing, counseling and negotiating with others
- Ability to communicate effectively, influence, and build agreement with senior leaders and across a matrixed organization
Special Factors
Sponsorship
Vanguard is not offering visa sponsorship for this position.
About Vanguard
At Vanguard, we don't just have a mission—we're on a mission.
To work for the long-term financial wellbeing of our clients. To lead through product and services that transform our clients' lives. To learn and develop our skills as individuals and as a team. From Malvern to Melbourne, our mission drives us forward and inspires us to be our best.
How We Work
Vanguard has implemented a hybrid working model for the majority of our crew members, designed to capture the benefits of enhanced flexibility while enabling in-person learning, collaboration, and connection. We believe our mission-driven and highly collaborative culture is a critical enabler to support long-term client outcomes and enrich the employee experience.
Vanguard’s Office of the General Counsel (OGC) addresses a wide range of complex and compelling legal and compliance issues. To continue to support its growing business, Vanguard is seeking an attorney in its Intellectual Property, Marketing and Communications Legal Team. As Assistant General Counsel, Intellectual Property, you will be responsible for a broad portfolio of intellectual property legal matters, including global patent portfolio management, trade secret protection and governance, technology transactions, research collaborations, and technology-focused intellectual property risk management.
In this role you will:
- Advise business and technology teams on intellectual property protection strategies for company innovations, including patent protection, trade secret protection, defensive publication, and other approaches to protecting and preserving intellectual property assets
- Support management of Vanguard’s global patent portfolio and oversight of outside patent counsel
- Support trade secret identification, protection, governance, and risk-management initiatives
- Negotiate and advise on technology transactions, research collaborations, and strategic partnerships
- Advise internal business teams and OGC colleagues on intellectual property issues arising in commercial, technology, procurement, and strategic transactions
- Assess and mitigate intellectual property risks associated with emerging technologies, third-party relationships, and internal technology development initiatives
- Assess and manage patent infringement allegations, trade secret misappropriation claims, pre-litigation IP disputes, IP litigation matters, and IP dispute settlement strategies, including oversight of outside counsel and coordination with business stakeholders
- Support development of templates, playbooks, governance frameworks, and training designed to strengthen intellectual property protection and risk management across the organization
What it takes:
- Minimum of 10 years of related legal experience; minimum of 8 years of professional intellectual property experience
- Undergraduate degree and Law degree (JD)
- Admission to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)
- Experience with patent and trade secret counseling and U.S. and foreign patent portfolio management
- Experience with drafting and negotiating intellectual property and technology-related agreements
- Experience using enterprise-approved artificial intelligence tools responsibly and effectively to support legal research, analysis, drafting, and efficient delivery of legal services
- Ability to balance business and legal needs and manage multiple projects at one time
- Exceptional leadership, organizational and interpersonal skills
- Consistent track record of success serving and navigating relationships with internal and/or external parties, including influencing, counseling and negotiating with others
- Ability to communicate effectively, influence, and build agreement with senior leaders and across a matrixed organization
Special Factors
Sponsorship
Vanguard is not offering visa sponsorship for this position.
About Vanguard
At Vanguard, we don't just have a mission—we're on a mission.
To work for the long-term financial wellbeing of our clients. To lead through product and services that transform our clients' lives. To learn and develop our skills as individuals and as a team. From Malvern to Melbourne, our mission drives us forward and inspires us to be our best.
How We Work
Vanguard has implemented a hybrid working model for the majority of our crew members, designed to capture the benefits of enhanced flexibility while enabling in-person learning, collaboration, and connection. We believe our mission-driven and highly collaborative culture is a critical enabler to support long-term client outcomes and enrich the employee experience.
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Find JobsIntellectual Property Counsel Job Market
Who's Hiring
Top Industries Hiring
- Manufacturing
What Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in intellectual property counsel jobs.
- J.D. from an accredited law school and active state bar membership
- USPTO registration to practice as a patent attorney or agent
- 5 or more years of experience in intellectual property law
- Technical undergraduate degree in engineering, life sciences, or computer science
- Experience drafting and prosecuting patent applications in a relevant technology area
- Familiarity with IP docketing software and portfolio management tools
Tips for Your Intellectual Property Counsel Job Search
Tailor your resume to prosecution or litigation
IP counsel roles split sharply between prosecution and litigation tracks. Make clear which you practice and list specific technology areas you've prosecuted in or litigated over, because hiring teams screen for exact subject-matter fit before reading anything else.
List your bar admissions and USPTO registration
Many postings filter out candidates who lack active registration to practice before the USPTO. Put your registration number, bar state, and any relevant technical degrees in a credentials section at the top of your resume, not buried in the footer.
Apply early to roles that fit
Migrate Mate lists intellectual property counsel openings from across the United States in one place, so you can find roles that match and apply directly to each listing.
Target postings by technology domain
Search using your technical background, such as biochemistry, software, or mechanical engineering, alongside the job title. Roles in pharma biotech demand life sciences depth, while semiconductor companies want electrical engineering fluency, so matching your domain narrows competition significantly.
Prepare a representative portfolio of work product
Bring redacted samples to interviews: a claim set you drafted, a freedom-to-operate memo, or a licensing agreement you negotiated. Concrete work product demonstrates drafting skill and subject-matter depth far more effectively than describing it in conversation.
Negotiate scope alongside compensation
In IP counsel offers, ask specifically about docket size, outside counsel budget authority, and whether you'll handle prosecution in-house or manage outside firms. These structural factors determine day-to-day workload as much as title does, so clarify them before accepting.
Intellectual Property Counsel Jobs: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies are hiring the most intellectual property counsels?
The companies hiring the most intellectual property counsels right now include Formlabs, Sony Interactive Entertainment, and STERIS, with the largest share of openings in Massachusetts, California, and Virginia, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Technology, pharmaceutical, and consumer goods companies consistently account for the highest volume of in-house intellectual property counsel roles.
How many intellectual property counsel jobs are remote?
About 54% of intellectual property counsel openings are fully remote or hybrid as of November 2026, reflecting the document-heavy and research-intensive nature of much IP work. Patent prosecution and trademark clearance roles tend to offer the most remote flexibility, while positions with heavy internal client collaboration or litigation support typically require more in-office presence.
How do you become an intellectual property counsel?
You start by earning a J.D. and passing a state bar exam, then register with the USPTO by passing the patent bar if you plan to handle prosecution, which requires a qualifying technical undergraduate degree. From there, you build experience at a law firm or in-house IP department, develop a focused technology domain, and move into a staff or associate counsel role before advancing to more senior positions.
How do you get hired as an intellectual property counsel with little experience?
Start by targeting companies with active patent prosecution programs that hire junior counsel to work alongside senior attorneys on docket management and application drafting. A strong technical background in a high-demand field like software, biotech, or electrical engineering can offset limited legal experience. Some employers also hire recent law graduates who passed the patent bar directly into supervised prosecution roles.
What does the intellectual property counsel interview process look like?
The process typically starts with a recruiter or HR screen, followed by a substantive conversation with the general counsel or IP legal team lead covering your technology background and practice areas. Many employers then ask you to complete a written exercise, such as reviewing a claim set or drafting a brief memo, before a final round with cross-functional stakeholders like R&D or business development leaders.
Where can I find and apply to intellectual property counsel jobs?
You can find and apply to intellectual property counsel jobs on Migrate Mate, which lists current openings from companies across the United States. Search the roles available, find the ones that match your background and technology area, and apply directly to each listing that fits.
See All 21 Intellectual Property Counsel Jobs
Find roles that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
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