Global IP Paralegal

Introduction: A Career at HARMAN Corporate

We're a global, multi-disciplinary team that's putting the innovative power of technology to work and transforming tomorrow. At HARMAN Corporate, you are integral to our company's award-winning success.

• Enrich your managerial and organizational talents - from finance, quality, and supply chain to human resources, IT, sales, and strategy
• Augment your comprehensive skillset with expert training across decision-making, change management, leadership, and business development
• Obtain 360-degree support throughout your career life cycle, from early-stage to seasoned leader

About the Role

HARMAN's diverse international team, and broad portfolio of products and Intellectual Property, offer our candidates an excellent opportunity to work as a member of our Corporate Legal & Compliance Department on a wide range of projects. In this position, you will work with a group of professionals who work hard, take accountability for managing and protecting HARMAN's Intellectual Property, and always go above and beyond.

For this position, we're looking for a true team-player - someone who will take initiative, step-up when the need arises, identify problem areas and bring forth solutions without being asked; a person who wants to continuously learn more; someone with a high work ethic, who will go above and beyond to get the job done accurately and expeditiously. We're looking for an IP professional, someone who has a deep understanding of Intellectual Property rules, especially with respect to Patent and Design maintenance fees and annuities. As a member of our team, you will take ownership of your duties and actively contribute your thoughts and ideas to discussions about processes and methods. Your primary role will be to support a team of attorneys and Operations professionals and collaborate closely with a team of paralegals within the Legal Department's Intellectual Property Group. Tasks will include IP portfolio management, instructing & overseeing Outside Counsel activities, annuity/renewal tracking and payment, invoice processing, and various data management and analytical tasks Experience working in Patent & Design prosecution is required, including experience working with both US and foreign matters and due dates. Experience managing Patent and Design annuities highly preferred. Experience working in either a law firm or corporate Legal Department is also required.

Your Team

The HARMAN Intellectual Property Group works in an international setting and focuses on a broad range of Intellectual Property matters, including Patent, Design, Trademark, and Copyright prosecution. You will also have an opportunity to learn and participate in other IP activities, such as licensing and other agreements, risk mitigation, IP litigation, IP due diligence for Merger, Acquisition, and Divestiture activities, Trade Secret protection, asset monetization activities, and invention-harvesting, among other special projects. The department stresses a high level of accuracy in data quality as we aim to ensure an excellent work-product for our internal clients. New members of our team are fully trained by our experienced staff and will learn to take ownership of their own duties, data, and processes while working together seamlessly as one unit. We work hard and are proud of our accomplishments as a team.

The Global IP Paralegal position reports to the Manager, Intellectual Property Operations, and is a member of a team of IP Paralegals. This is your opportunity to join our talented professionals within the HARMAN Legal Department, learn new skills and ideas, and contribute to a portfolio of cutting-edge technologies and cool products. We're also a group that knows not to take life too seriously and enjoys each other's company. Come join our team, and let's see what we can do together!

What You Will Do

• Act as a Paralegal Case Manager for a portfolio of IP cases, including interacting and liaising with Outside Counsel, managing Outside Counsel activities and processes, filing paperwork as instructed by HARMAN attorneys, ensuring data accuracy in our IP management database (Anaqua), and helping with process and system management.
• Daily maintenance, monitoring, docketing, analysis, and reconciliation of Patent bibliographic information, due dates, and cost information related to Patent prosecution and annuity transactions within HARMAN's Anaqua I.P. Management System, Legal Tracker billing system, and other locations as needed.
• Tracking and recordal of correspondence between HARMAN legal department members, Outside Counsel, external vendors, and HARMAN business leaders obtained from a variety of communication tools and resources, such as Outlook, Microsoft Teams chats and virtual meetings, Anaqua I.P. Management System, and others.
• Tracking and recording technical and strategic information provided by HARMAN attorneys, I.P. Review Board members, and other Business leaders.
• Manage annuity reviews and payments for a portfolio of Patent and Design matters, including: managing HARMAN attorney and business leader reviews of annuity dockets and payment recommendations; interacting with Legal Department members, Outside Counsel, vendor contacts, HARMAN Finance contacts, and business leaders; monitoring of process compliance by Outside Counsel, external annuities service provider, and internal team personnel; ensuring continuous understanding of country rules related to annuities; and proposing and implementing process improvements as needed.
• Track and report financial savings, including: calculating and entering projected savings into the Anaqua I.P. Management System, and reporting cost savings to I.P. Team and Business Leaders using Excel and PowerPoint, including reports, charts, and graphs of savings calculations and comparisons.
• Prepare, generate, and globally distribute various reports, including dockets, cost projection reports, and other informational reports, for review by attorneys and other team members, as well as by business and financial contacts.
• Manage monthly annuity invoices, including: reviewing incoming monthly invoices, comparing expected and actual costs, approving invoices for payment, and providing reports related to invoices/costs as needed.
• Manage requests/inquiries from Anaqua's annuity service regarding data discrepancies, including performing Patent bibliographic research via public Patent Office and other Patent-related sites, working with in-house and outside attorneys to obtain answers, and updating HARMAN's Anaqua I.P. Management System accordingly.
• Provide support to in-house I.P. team members as needed, including: providing back-up for Paralegal team members, creating matters in HARMAN's Legal Tracker and Anaqua systems, supporting operational activities and technology improvements, bringing new technology and process improvement ideas to the table, supporting the Manager, IP Operations with operational activities as assigned, assisting with general administrative duties as the need arises, and other tasks as assigned.

What You Need to Be Successful

• At least 6 years' experience in a corporate Legal Department or Law Firm, required.
• At least 5 years' experience working in Patent and Design prosecution required, including: deep knowledge of Patent and Design-related data and due dates for both US and foreign prosecution matters; experience working within an I.P. Management Database/docketing system manipulating data or docketing; and experience reviewing and auditing data for errors, are all required. High preference given to candidates with experience managing I.P. annuities/renewals. Experience with Trademark prosecution a plus.
• Ability to work comfortably in databases and other software tools required.
• Proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office programs required, especially MS Excel and MS PowerPoint. Experience using MS Teams, MS Copilot, and MS Project a plus.
• Experience managing multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced environment and ability to prioritize projects and workload independently are required.
• Ability to work well under pressure, ability to adjust quickly and smoothly to changing targets, talent for being detail-orientated, and excellent organizational skills are all required.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills and good interpersonal and relationship building skills are required, including ability to write effective and professional business communications, proofread, train others on processes and systems, and present information to team members and business leaders.
• Ability to work independently as well as closely with team members; to participate effectively on team projects; to seek instructions when needed while also knowing when to handle a situation on your own; to take direction and initiative; and to provide feedback when necessary; are all required.
• A command of Legal and IP terminology required.

Bonus Points if You Have

• Experience working in an in-house I.P. and/or Legal Team highly preferred.
• Experience working within the Anaqua I.P. Management Database (docketing system) highly preferred.
• Experience producing graphs and charts in Excel and PowerPoint preferred.
• Experience managing process development projects and software improvement projects preferred.
• Experience creating GANTT charts, especially using MS Project, preferred.
• Experience working with legal e-billing systems preferred, with preference for experience with Thomson Reuters' Legal Tracker e-billing system.
• Experience using AI tools a plus.
• Some college preferred.

What Makes You Eligible

• Be willing to work in an office in the Novi, Michigan area at least three times a week.
• Be willing to work a 40-hour work week, and the flexibility to work overtime if necessary.
• Be willing to work as a part of a global, diverse, and close-knit team.
• Be willing to occasionally travel to other HARMAN offices - some international - or to conferences, trainings, seminars, or meetings (5% of time max).
• Fluency in English and proficiency in Business English.
• Successfully complete a background investigation and drug screen as a condition of employment.

What We Offer

• Access to employee discounts on world-class Harman and Samsung products (JBL, HARMAN Kardon, AKG, etc.)
• Extensive training opportunities through our own HARMAN University
• Competitive wellness benefits
• Tuition reimbursement
• "Be Brilliant" employee recognition and rewards program
• An inclusive and diverse work environment that fosters and encourages professional and personal development

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