Counsel, Intellectual Property

It's fun to work in a company where people truly believe in what they are doing!

Reporting to the Chief Legal & Compliance Officer, the Counsel, Intellectual Property will work as part of a cross-functional, global team supporting and enabling revenue creation while managing risk. You will develop and implement actionable legal and intellectual property strategies supporting the business. You will provide Neogen with strategic and tactical intellectual property and technology law expertise, addressing and managing all of the IP needs of the business.

Primary Responsibilities

Provides day-to-day intellectual property and legal advice to the business, advises and counsels business clients on various IP matters involving copyrights, patents, trademarks, and trade secrets.

Partnering with R&D and commercial, develops intellectual property protection strategies.

Manages and maintains company IP portfolios (patents and trademarks), including supervising drafting, filing, prosecution, and maintenance of patents and trademarks

Evaluates inventions to determine patentability

Evaluates trademarks to determine registrability

Drafts, negotiates, interprets and advises business on IP related agreements, such as non-disclosure agreements and license agreements, and IP provisions in commercial agreements

Performs freedom-to-operate and validity analyses.

Supports M&A and strategic transactions, including diligence and evaluation of target portfolios

Manages outside counsel

Candidate Profile

We seek a results-oriented, resourceful, adaptable attorney with meaningful intellectual property experience; one who desires significant responsibility in an innovative, fast-paced growth company with evolving industry reach. This professional will be effective on a cross-functional team with outstanding communication skills. The ideal candidate will have most or all the following experience, knowledge, skills, and personal characteristics:

Experience / Education

JD or equivalent law degree and ability to practice in law in the state where employed

USPTO registration

Minimum of 3 years post-qualification experience, including at least two years at a law firm and experience counseling clients on business aspects of IP matters

Demonstrated experience with global intellectual property matters

Extensive experience performing freedom to operate and validity analyses

Experience drafting and prosecuting patent applications

Transactional and trademarks preferred

Skills / Personal Characteristics

Excellent problem-solving skills, judgment, communication (written and verbal), and interpersonal skills

Proven ability to provide quick, pragmatic, business-oriented advice while properly balancing business opportunity and legal/compliance risks

Versatile, flexible, self-starter who takes ownership, takes accountability, and admits and learns from mistakes.

Ability to manage workloads, multiple demands, and shifting priorities

Ability to work autonomously and also collaboratively with internal and external colleagues and multi-cultural teams

Comfortable operating in a fast-paced, rapidly-growing business with rapidly changing priorities

Desire to grow, learn, expand skill set, and enthusiastically try new things

Come Be Part Of A Mission that Matters!

From inside the farm gate to our dinner plates, Neogen protects the world’s food supply. Through a variety of animal healthcare products, to food safety solutions for dangerous bacteria, allergens, toxins, drug residues and much more, Neogen is there — and you can be too.