Legal Administrative Assistant

Summary:

The Legal Administrative Assistant – Intellectual Property provides comprehensive administrative and legal support to attorneys and professionals across patent, trademark, and intellectual property litigation matters. This role supports the preparation, filing, and management of IP-related documents in domestic and international jurisdictions, while also performing a wide range of administrative functions to ensure efficient department operations.

The position requires strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple deadlines in a fast-paced legal environment. The assistant maintains professional communication with clients, attorneys, and staff, and exercises strict confidentiality in all matters.

Key Responsibilities:

• Assist with U.S. and international patent prosecution, including preparation of applications, responses, and related correspondence, as needed.

• Maintain and update IP docketing systems, ensuring accuracy of deadlines and actions taken.

• Review incoming correspondence from the USPTO, foreign associates, and clients; prioritize and route for action.

• Maintain electronic and physical IP files, including correspondence, filings, and prosecution histories.

• Assist attorneys with preparation of litigation documents, including pleadings, motions, discovery materials, and exhibits.

• Support document organization, production, and filing in federal and state courts, including e-filing.

• Strong proficiency Pacer.

• Coordinate with attorneys and paralegals on case management and document tracking.

• Prepare correspondence, memoranda, and legal documents from written or oral drafts.

• Manage attorney calendars, schedule meetings, travel arrangements, and time entry.

• Open new matters and coordinate conflict checks

• Process billing, review and edit pre-bills, and assist with time entry and expense submissions.

• Maintain document management systems and ensure proper organization of records.

• Collaborate with administrative departments (word processing, records, reception, etc.) to support workflow.

• Maintain strict confidentiality of client and firm information.

• Prioritize and manage multiple assignments under tight deadlines.

• Perform additional duties as assigned to support attorneys and department needs.

• Ability to read and write in order to proof and perform minor editing (e.g., punctuation, grammar, spelling) of routine law office correspondence and legal case matters. Perform non-complex arithmetic calculations when verifying calculations on forms and documents; maintain records and filing systems at a level normally acquired through completion of high school or equivalent.

• Ability to organize and prioritize numerous tasks and complete them under time constraints.

• Ability to proofread typed material for grammatical, typographical or spelling errors.

• Interpersonal skills necessary in order to communicate and follow instructions effectively from a diverse group of clients, attorneys and staff to provide information with ordinary courtesy and tact.

• Interpersonal skills necessary in order to communicate in person, by e-mail and telephone to provide information with ordinary courtesy and tact.

• Approximately one to two years on the job experience necessary in order to gain an understanding of law office policies and procedures and produce accurate legal documents with minimal supervision.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Word and Outlook.

• Patent and/or Trademark experience preferred but not required.

• Experience in software packages used by the Intellectual Property Department and the United States Patent and Trademark Office is preferred but not required.

• Work occasionally requires a high level of mental effort while producing a high volume of information performing other essential duties.

• Work occasionally requires more than 40 hours per week to perform the essential duties of the position; may require irregular hours.

• This job description is intended to describe the general requirements of this position. As such, it is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of job duties or responsibilities required in this job. Subject to firm needs, duties and responsibilities of this position may change at any time, on a temporary or permanent basis, and with or without notice

• Interpersonal skills necessary in order to communicate in person, by e-mail and telephone to provide information with ordinary courtesy and tact.

• Approximately one to two years on the job experience necessary in order to gain an understanding of law office policies and procedures and produce accurate legal documents with minimal supervision.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Word and Outlook.

• Patent and/or Trademark experience preferred but not required.

• Experience in software packages used by the Intellectual Property Department and the United States Patent and Trademark Office is preferred but not required.

• Work occasionally requires a high level of mental effort while producing a high volume of information performing other essential duties.

• Work occasionally requires more than 40 hours per week to perform the essential duties of the position; may require irregular hours.

• This job description is intended to describe the general requirements of this position. As such, it is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of job duties or responsibilities required in this job. Subject to firm needs, duties and responsibilities of this position may change at any time, on a temporary or permanent basis, and with or without notice.

• Normal law office environment with little exposure to excessive noise, dust, temperature and the like.

The above is intended to describe the general content of and requirements for the performance of this job. It is not to be construed as an exhaustive statement of essential functions, responsibilities or requirements.

Equal Employment and Opportunity Statement:

Barnes & Thornburg is committed to equal employment opportunity in both principle and as a matter of policy. We will recruit, hire, train, promote, compensate and provide benefits to all applicants and employees without regard to ancestry, sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, gender, age, religion, religious creed, mental and/or physical disability, medical condition, military and/or veteran’s status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, or any other basis protected by applicable federal, state and local laws. This policy applies to all recruiting, hiring, promotions, upgrades, layoffs, compensation, benefits, terminations and all other privileges, terms and conditions of employment. The firm complies fully with all federal, state and local equal employment opportunity laws.