Sr. Paralegal
Location: Freeport, Texas
Description: Dow Chemical is presently looking of Sr. Paralegal right now, this position will be presented in Texas. For complete informations about this position opportunity kindly see the descriptions. This is a position for a senior paralegal/paralegal that will provide leadership to the Freeport, TEXAS. Intellectual Property (IP) Law support staff and, as appropriate, to IP Law support staff globally. Under the dir! ection of an attorney, the paralegal will provide paralegal support as a member of the HC&E, Plastics and Thermosets team in the Intellectual Property (IP) Section of the Legal Department. The incumbent will provide paralegal support for up to four attorneys and will typically perform tasks which, in the absence of the paralegal, would be performed by an attorney. Additionally, the paralegal will provide leadership, mentorship, and training for less experienced support staff. This job includes responsibilities in the following areas:
IP Section Processes:
The paralegal, as part of the paralegal team for the IP law section, will have general knowledge of and responsibility for the various IP processes (both patent and agreement) and will continually work to identify, propose to leadership, and implement improvements. The paralegal will act as a mentor and lead the IP Law support staff in developing, implementing and assuring implementation of best practic! es across IP Law.
Patent procurement:
The ! paralegal, working in conjunction with and providing leadership to the team’s administrative support professionals, will manage the preparation and filing of all official papers required under the patent laws of the various countries in which patent applications are filed and/or prosecuted on Dow’s behalf.
Agreements:
Secrecy/non-analysis and consulting: The paralegal will, working in conjunction with and providing leadership to the group’s administrative support professionals, manage the review of all agreement requests, preparation of the required agreements, obtention of necessary approvals, and coordination of the execution of the agreements.
Other agreements: The paralegal will review agreement requests to determine the type of agreement needed; whether a technology release is required and will work with attorneys in the preparation of other agreements and to obtain necessary approvals.
Project Work:
! The paralegal will undertake legal research, Six Sigma projects, work on mergers and acquisitions or divestitures and other projects as needed.
Education/Certification Requirements:
Paralegal or legal assistant certificate; Bachelor degree in legal studies, office administration, office management or other business discipline is desirable. Relevant experience may substitute for a portion of the educational requirement, provided the candidate commits to meeting educational requirements in an agreed upon time frame.
Job Information and Working Conditions:
This job is a normal professional office environment having a standard work week of five 8-hour days. A flexible work schedule to meet individual needs is possible at supervisor discretion. Work outside the normal business hours is sometimes necessary to meet deadlines and when working with individuals in other time zones. The job requires an ability to concentrate on detailed work and! requires a high level of mental effort and ability to effectively mana! ge multiple critical workload demands with concurrent deadlines. Also requires independent work, knowledge and judgment of when to obtain an attorney/agent's opinion or input on complex legal or policy issues. The ability to maintain professional confidences is required. Excellent interpersonal skills, teamwork and ability to work with individuals at all levels in and outside of the Company is required.
Eight to twelve years of experience in IP law is required. Experience in other legal areas, chemistry at the high school level or above, and prior experience at Dow are beneficial and will be given appropriate consideration in selecting a candidate. Excellent written (grammar/spelling) and oral communication skills are necessary. Working knowledge of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook) as well as of global patent office procedures, IPDAS and other IP law specific information is necessary. A positive attitude and the ability to provide leadership to, and work wel! l as member of, a team is also required.
Essential functions of the job include one or more of the following:
Patent Procurement: Detailed understanding of patent regulations and requirements. This will involve interactions with attorneys/patent agents, inventors, patent office representatives from various countries, outside counsel, ICM managers and admin leaders and others.
Agreements: Independently gather information to prepare and administer agreements. This work will be for and under the supervision of an attorney. This activity includes direct contact with clients, other Dow functions, and regional Legal personnel as well as communication with parties outside Dow. It requires preparation of agreements such as secrecy/non-analysis, consulting and research agreements and routing of agreements for Dow approvals and signature which requires knowledge of Dow’s agreement authorization and execution policies.
IP Processe! s: There are a significant number of processes in the IP law sectio! n such as docket procedures, various processes relating to patent filing and prosecution and watches. The IP paralegal team is responsible for understanding the various processes and continually gathering input (from attorneys, agents, administrative professionals, docketing, clients, etc.) concerning the functioning of the processes and identifying areas for improvements and implementing solutions with appropriate direction, input and support from management.
Project work: Examples of project work include legal research which requires a detailed knowledge of legal search tools such as LEXIS; organization of intellectual property (patents, know-how, trademarks, etc.) involved in a divestiture or acquisition or work on a Six Sigma project.
Miscellaneous: Demonstrated knowledge of Dow and its operations worldwide, Dow’s agreement procedures, information systems and records management.
Goals/Competencies
Examples of goals ! that would be typical for this job:
- Provide leadership to the IP law support staff
- Maintain proficiency in patent law requirements necessary for processing and assignment of patent applications in patents offices around the world.
- Acquire or maintain proficiency in Dow’s agreement processes and Approval/Signature guidelines and in preparing, secrecy, non-analysis, consulting and other agreements.
- Maintain competency in relevant Dow supported software such as current global workstations, Memotech, IPDAS.
- INITIATIVE: This job requires independent work and the setting of priorities and balancing needs from various projects. The ability to work independently and to meet deadlines is critical.
- INTERPERSONAL EFFECTIVENESS: This job involves working with diverse clients and partners at various locations and having frequent contact with o! utside counsel and officials at various patent offices. The ability to ! communicate effectively with and to respond to clients, outside counsel and third parties is particularly important as the paralegal is frequently the point of contact between the outside parties and the IP section. The success of the team effort is greatly dependent on the contacts from the paralegal.
- INNOVATION: As a steward or champion of improved processed, it is critical that the paralegal demonstrate creativity in identifying areas for improvement and developing creative approaches to problem solving.
- LEGAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS: Must maintain the confidences of the client and of work product; must have knowledge of patent laws and regulations in countries or organizations (e.g. WIPO or EP) in which Dow obtains patents; must have basic knowledge of agreement law.
- TEAMWORK: It is essential that the paralegal have an appreciation for diversity; be flexible and open minded; develop a successful close interaction with various team members (attorn! ey, outside counsel, administrative professionals, business client, ICM personnel).
- LEARNING: The paralegal should pursue continuous learning to maintain and expand skill set.
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If you were eligible to this position, please email us your resume, with salary requirements and a resume to Dow Chemical.
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This position starts available on: Thu, 25 Apr 2013 01:31:15 GMT