Cargill – Patent Lawyer
Cargill provides food, agriculture, financial and industrial products and services to the world. Together with farmers, customers, governments and communities, we help people thrive by applying our insights and over 150 years of experience. We have 155,000 employees in 70 countries who are committed to feeding the world in a responsible way, reducing environmental impact and improving the communities where we live and work.
Description – Position Purpose & Summary
Cargill Law has a need for an Intellectual Property Lawyer at its worldwide headquarters in the Minneapolis area. The lawyer filling this position will provide legal counsel to Cargill, Incorporated and its affiliates as an in-house lawyer and will be part of the Cargill Law Department’s Intellectual Property Team. This lawyer will work closely with various Cargill businesses and its technology function. This lawyer will also work collaboratively with other Cargill lawyers and paralegals who provide legal counsel to Cargill worldwide as part of a multidisciplinary team.
A primary focus of this role will be to support the intellectual property activities for Cargill’s biotechnology efforts, including the drafting and prosecution of biotechnology patent applications. Apply here.
Principal Accountabilities
(60%) Preparing and prosecuting patent applications, developing disclosures and counseling inventors with a commercial focus
(15%) Coordinating general patent activities, including leading intellectual property review team meetings, providing patentability and infringement opinions and developing patent strategies
(15%) Providing legal counsel to Cargill’s businesses, including due diligence and the preparation and negotiation of various agreements relating to acquisitions, dispositions, joint ventures, technology licenses, research and development agreements, confidentiality agreements and other transactional matters
(5%) Developing, coordinating and providing training for key employees on intellectual property matters
(5%) Providing legal counsel and support related to pre-litigation evaluations and on-going litigation matters as they may arise
If selected for an interview, you will be required to submit signed copies of your last two performance reviews. (A completed e-PMP is considered a signed copy.)
This position is posted internally as well as externally
Qualifications – Education, Experience, Skills Required
Qualifications
• License to practice law in Minnesota (or if currently licensed in another state the ability to become licensed in Minnesota) and registration to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
• Advanced degrees in biotechnology or closely related field
• 2+ years of experience preparing and prosecuting biotechnology patent applications, including significant experience drafting priority patent applications and preparing substantive office action responses.
•Creative, resilient and flexible style and approach to solving legal problems.
• Strong strategic and commercial conceptual strength.
• Demonstrated ability to have a broad perspective and approach work with curiosity.
• Ability and desire to work with diverse teams in meeting corporate goals and missions.
•Excellent communication, advocacy and drafting skills.
• Ability to effectively manage conflict and apply judgment in counseling.
Preferred Qualifications
•Excellent academic track record (top 25% of law school class is strongly preferred).
• 3+ years of experience preparing and prosecuting patent applications preferred.
• Agreement and/or opinion experience is preferred.
• Experience drafting patent applications in the chemical, biochemical, food technology, chemical engineering or biological arts is preferred.