Patent Secretary I

Description: Posting Title: Patent Secretary I Location: Cambridge, MA Department: Intellectual Property Classification: Legal, Patent IP Law, Paralegal and Legal Secretary Required Travel: None Required Education: High School Diploma Relocation: No Job Description Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated is a global biotechnology company committed to the discovery and development of breakthrough small molecule drugs for serious diseases. The Company's strategy is to commercialize its products both independently and in collaboration with major pharmaceutical companies. Vertex's product pipeline is focused on viral diseases, inflammation, autoimmune diseases, cancer, pain and bacterial infection. Position Overview: The successful candidate will be supporting Principal Attorneys, Associates, and/or Patent Agents and Technology Specialists. The Patent Secretary will independently initiate documents to be filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office and will manage the legal staff's docket. Key Responsibilities: Duties include but are not limited to: Preparing and transmitting U.S. provisional, utility and design patent applications, as well as, all formal documents for filing with the USPTO via EFS-Web, Express Mail, First Class mail and fax; Coordinating with international agencies, receiving offices and foreign associates for filing various foreign documents; Reviewing, docketing and processing all incoming correspondence from USPTO, outside counsel and foreign associates; Reporting all USPTO correspondence to responsible attorneys and outside counsel, as appropriate; Maintaining patent award program records and preparing instructions for payments; Maintain all files in proper order, which includes filing documents in the files prior to returning to the file room; Attending to various requests for information from in-house attorneys, outside counsel and colleagues; Maintaining patent prosecution case files; Responding to underlying application and procedural issues; Retrieving USPTO documents via USPTO Private PAIR. Minimum Requirements: The position requires a minimum of 3 years direct legal secretarial experience and a broad knowledge of general patent prosecution and procedures preferably in patent prosecution, strong organizational skills, accuracy, and attention to detail. The successful candidate will be able to work both independently and as a member of a team, and will have the ability to balance their workload to ensure the timely completion of their work ; Experience in the preparation of formal documents for filing in all phases of domestic and some international/foreign patent applications; Ability to maintain and monitor a docket for all foreign and U.S. actions and follow through with attorneys to ensure docket actions and deadlines are addressed; Strong attention to detail and organizational skills; Ability to communicate and correspond effectively. Experience with EFS-Web, Private PAIR, U.S. and foreign docketing is a plus. Apply Now