Legal Engineer - Intellectual Property

Legal Engineer - Intellectual Property Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP is seeking a Legal Engineer - Intellectual Property to join our team. The Legal Engineer - Intellectual Property is the primary bridge between the firm's Intellectual Property practice and its technology, artificial intelligence, and automation capability. Embedded in the practice group, the Legal Engineer identifies opportunities to improve legal work through better tools and workflows, translates those needs into requirements for the AI Labs team, validates delivered solutions against practice realities, and drives attorney adoption. This attorney-facing role sits within the Practice Intelligence department. The Legal Engineer works closely with IP attorneys, patent agents, and prosecution support staff and develops deep familiarity with IP docketing and portfolio management systems, patent and trademark search and analytics platforms, prior art search tools, office action response and claim charting tools, and trademark watch services. The Legal Engineer also helps attorneys translate firm capability into client value and supports the department's legal research function as needed. Practice Intelligence is a newly formed department. The Legal Engineer should expect an evolving scope, a high degree of autonomy, and the opportunity to shape the role and the department's service model. RESPONSIBILITIES: Practice Group Engagement and Needs Identification • Embed with the Intellectual Property practice group across all offices; attend practice group meetings and build working relationships with attorneys, patent agents, and prosecution support staff • Observe and document IP prosecution and IP litigation workflows to identify tasks suitable for automation or improved tooling, and maintain awareness of prosecution deadline cycles and portfolio management demands, and anticipate technology needs in advance Requirements Development and AI Labs Liaison • Serve as the primary point of contact between the Intellectual Property practice group and the firm's AI Labs team, translating attorney needs into first-draft functional requirements; partner with the department Practice Systems Analyst to finalize specifications for AI Labs • Participate in solution design review, user acceptance testing, and validation of delivered tools against real practice workflows, advocating for practice group prioritization when necessary Training, Adoption, and Enablement • Deliver training on approved practice-specific applications and platforms, in partnership with Practice Technology and Adoption department • Run adoption campaigns, office hours, and targeted one-on-one support following practice-specific tool deployment • Develop and maintain practice-specific reference materials, workflow guides, self-service resources, and serve as the first line of support for practice technology questions within the assigned practice group Client-Facing Support • Support attorneys in client relationships by demonstrating firm technology capability, participating in client-facing conversations and demonstrations alongside the relationship attorney • Deliver client-facing training on firm tools, portals, and collaboration platforms where appropriate Legal Research Support (As Needed) • Perform prior art, patentability, technical literature research, prosecution history research, patent family and portfolio landscape analysis in support of prosecution matters as needed • Support IP litigation research requests through prior art searching and technical research in support of attorney claim construction and infringement analysis, and assist the legal research function with overflow as assigned; research volume will vary based on department demand Solution Configuration and Self-Service Build • Configure and maintain practice-specific workflows, forms, and automations within the department's build scope including Power Automate workflows and SharePoint self-service resources • Escalate build requests exceeding departmental scope or complexity thresholds to AI Labs through established intake channels Measurement, Reporting, and Continuous Improvement • Track and report adoption, utilization, and satisfaction metrics for tools deployed within the assigned practice group, and gather structured attorney feedback to rout into the requirements and prioritization process • Contribute to departmental reporting on capability delivered and capacity created REQUIREMENTS: • Demonstrated ability to translate the needs of legal professionals into clear, actionable technology requirements • Strong interpersonal and consultative skills, with credibility among attorneys and the ability to build trust across a distributed, multi-office practice group • Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain technical concepts to non-technical audiences and legal concepts to technical audiences • Proficiency with the Microsoft 365 suite; working familiarity with workflow and automation tools such as Power Automate and ServiceNow • Working knowledge of legal research platforms and generative AI tools used in legal practice, and of the professional responsibility obligations governing their use, including verification and citation integrity • Working knowledge of patent and trademark prosecution workflows, USPTO procedure, and docketing requirements • Familiarity with patent claim structure, classification systems, and prior art search methodology • Ability and willingness to perform legal research in support of the department's legal research function as needed • Ability to manage competing priorities across multiple offices and time zones, and to work independently in a newly formed department • Sound judgment in handling confidential and privileged client and matter information EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE: • Bachelor's degree required. Juris Doctor (JD) preferred. • Minimum of five (5) years of experience in a law firm, legal department, or legal services environment. • Experience in a patent or trademark prosecution support, patent litigation, IP portfolio administration, or IP practice environment is strongly preferred. A technical or scientific background is preferred. • Prior experience in legal technology, knowledge management, practice innovation, legal research, or practice support required. • Experience supporting generative AI tools in a professional services environment preferred This position is subject to export control laws COMPENSATION: The national average salary range for this role is $89,500 - $111,500. Starting salary will be determined based on location, qualifications and experience. BENEFITS: Medical Insurance, Dental Insurance, Vision Insurance, Health Savings Account, Flexible Spending Accounts, Life insurance, Disability Insurance, Paid Parental Leave, 401(k) Plan, Paid Days Off/Vacation, Firm Paid Holidays.