Overview
An organization specializing in search and AI technologies is seeking a Corporate Counsel to support the development, protection, and commercialization of its products. This role is based in the United States or Canada and reports to the Vice President of Legal Innovation, with dotted line supervision by the Director of Legal Innovation. The position involves close collaboration with product and engineering teams from ideation through product launch, focusing on legal guidance related to cutting-edge enterprise technology.
Responsibilities
- Patent Prosecution & Invention Harvesting: Support day-to-day patent prosecution activities, develop a deep understanding of product technology and roadmap, operate invention harvesting and patent intake programs, evaluate inventions for patentability, prepare or review patent disclosures, and assist senior legal team members and outside counsel.
- IP Portfolio Management: Assist in managing global patent, copyright, and trademark portfolios, including monitoring, clearance, registrations, and tracking deadlines across jurisdictions.
- Brand Protection & Enforcement: Support IP enforcement strategies, including domain name disputes, social media takedowns, and coordination with vendors and outside counsel on pre-litigation matters.
- Product Regulatory Governance & Launch Readiness: Coordinate with cross-functional teams (Legal Privacy, Commercial, Information Security, IT) to support product build and release functions, and improve internal guidelines.
- Open-Source & Product Counseling: Manage open-source software licensing and compliance programs, advise engineering and product teams on intellectual property rights, open-source licensing, AI model licensing, dependencies, and data collection/usage risks.
- Commercial Contracts & Playbooks: Review, research, and draft commercial contract clauses related to AI, IP, product dependencies, and open-source software; support updates to legal playbooks.
- Legal Research & Diligence: Conduct factual and legal research, organize documentation for technology partnerships, M&A diligence, and legal disputes.
- Trade Compliance Support: Develop understanding of product technicalities to support trade compliance, analyze and apply export laws such as the Export Administration Regulations (EAR).
Requirements
- 2–5+ years of experience in patent prosecution and/or litigation, intellectual property, or product law, preferably with software industry exposure (SaaS, enterprise data platforms, or open-source products).
- Bachelor's or advanced degree in a science or engineering field; software engineering background is a strong plus.
- Admission to the US or Canadian Patent Bar (registration number required).
- JD from a US law school or LLB from a Canadian law school preferred; patent agents are eligible.
- Demonstrated experience drafting, reviewing, or managing patent applications with ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear patent claims and legal analysis.
- Interest in Generative Artificial Intelligence and related legal frameworks.
- Proactive, self-starting approach with strong prioritization and adaptability skills.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills.
- Curiosity and willingness to learn trade compliance frameworks; prior experience not required.
Preferred Qualifications
- Interest in building and strengthening legal workflows and productization processes.
- Comfortable working across time zones and cultures in a distributed environment.
Compensation & Benefits
- Base salary range: $98,200—$148,200 CAD.
- No variable compensation component.
- Eligibility to participate in the organization's stock program.
- Company-matched Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) with dollar-for-dollar matching up to 6% of eligible earnings.
- Health coverage for employees and families in many locations.
- Flexible work locations and schedules.
- Generous vacation days.
- Matching donations up to $2,000 annually.
- Up to 40 hours per year for volunteer projects.
- Minimum of 16 weeks parental leave.
Location
- United States or Canada (distributed work environment).
Additional Information
- The organization is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
- Equal opportunity employer.
- Accommodations available for applicants with disabilities.
- Employment subject to export control laws; nationals or residents of certain sanctioned countries may require export licenses.
Applicants should be prepared to provide patent bar registration numbers and relevant credentials during the hiring process.