Paralegal – Government – Los Alamos, N.M.

Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos National Laboratory is seeking a Paralegal 2 to work in Los Alamos, New Mexico. The paralegal will perform a variety of legal and administrative tasks to include:

• Maintain vigilant oversight of patent docket, due dates, and procedural requirements for LANL patent operations;
• Maintain vigilant oversight of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) deposit accounts including tracking of filing fees, recordation fees, etc., for both domestic and foreign filings;
• Interact professionally with all levels of staff and management at LANL, USPTO and the Department of Energy (DOE) and other external organizations, including retained counsel;
• Assist with preparation of information disclosure statements;
• Review of invention disclosures and invention evaluation comments from attorneys or others, and careful review of issuing patents;
• Examine and file electronic and/or hard copy documents, reports, correspondence, and any related papers pertinent to patent law activities for compliance with Federal Regulations and United States Patent & Trademark Office rules;
• Assist with legal review of Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs) and Patent Licensing Agreements;
• Prepare and handle Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) filings from prior US applications;
• Serve as a Department of Energy administrative contact for invention processing and copyright assertion requests, including processing of invention election notices and waiver requests;
• Administer IP input for annual inventor awards;
• Data entry, searches and reports generation;
• Point of contact for IP e-billing, invoice reviews and approvals;
• Other duties as assigned.

Job Requirements:
• Previous experience as a paralegal in a corporate or government law office, private law firm or similar setting;
• Must have prior work experience that required accuracy, judgment, a high degree of initiative, discretion, diplomacy, confidentiality, flexibility, timeliness, and knowledge of protocol;
• Demonstrated ability to work well under pressure with minimal supervision and to quickly adjust to changing priorities, problems, and deadlines;
• Demonstrated effective and strong verbal, written and interpersonal communication skills;
• Minimum of four (4) years of experience using various software applications and technologies including MS Office Suite, Internet, E-mail, and databases;
• Ability to recognize and resolve ethical issues and to strictly adhere to attorneys’ rules of confidentiality;
• Must have an excellent record of dependability and availability for work including overtime when necessary.

Desired Skills:
• Experience using various software applications and technologies typically used in a technologically sophisticated law office such as Matter Management, IP Master (a Patent Tracking Software), and Lexis-Nexis or Westlaw;
• Familiarity with LANL and DOE organizational structure and functions;
• Experience in and knowledge of USPTO rules and procedures;
• Experience in and knowledge of Federal and DOE policies, procedures and orders regarding management of patent and technical data rights, technology transfer agreements, and acquisition policies and procedures.

Education:
Five years of paralegal on-the-job experience in private law firms, corporate legal departments or government legal office. An undergraduate degree and/or paralegal certificate are desirable.

Clearance:
Q (Position will be cleared to this level). Applicants selected will be subject to a Federal background investigation and must meet eligibility requirements* for access to classified matter.

Eligibility requirements:
To obtain a clearance, an individual must be at least 18 years of age; U.S. citizenship is required except in very limited circumstances. See DOE Order 472.2 for additional information.

Pre-Employment Drug Test:
The Laboratory requires successful applicants to complete a pre-employment drug test and maintains a substance abuse policy that includes random drug testing.

Regular position:
Term status Laboratory employees applying for regular-status positions are converted to a regular status only with approval of the cognizant Principal Associate Director.

Contact:
Please apply for this position at: http://bit.ly/IRC16170 or visit http://careers.lanl.gov and reference vacancy IRC16170. EEO/AA

Additional Info:
Employer Type: Government
Job Location: Los Alamos, New Mexico 

Located in northern New Mexico, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is a multidisciplinary research institution engaged in strategic science on behalf of national security. LANL enhances national security by ensuring the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile, developing technologies to reduce threats from weapons of mass destruction, and solving problems related to energy, environment, infrastructure, health, and global security concerns.

The mission of the Intellectual Property Law Practice Group (LC-IP) is to protect the intellectual property developed by Laboratory technical staff. LC-IP is seeking a Paralegal to provide support to patent attorneys, patent agents and to external co-counsel in matters relating to the intellectual property and technology transfer functions at LANL. The Paralegal will provide support in the areas of foreign and domestic patent prosecution; licensing of intellectual property and other technology transfer agreements; and assist with procurement issues involving intellectual property matters and copyright matters.