Docketing Specialist

This is a remote position, ideally for a candidate residing on the West Coast.

About the role

The Docketing Specialist reports to the IP Docket Manager and focuses on docketing related to U.S. and international trademarks, including enforcement, prosecution, copyright, and other trademark-related matters.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate with trademark attorneys and paralegals to ensure all docket items are cleared daily and deadlines are addressed in a timely manner.
• Proactively review upcoming deadlines, including daily and next-day due dates, and collaborate with matter personnel to confirm timely completion of required actions.
• Monitor aging docket items and follow up with attorneys, paralegals, and other stakeholders to identify and resolve outstanding deadline-related issues.
• Review and docket new matters and correspondence to/from the USPTO or foreign agents.
• Serve as a subject matter resource on FoundationIP, ensuring accurate docket maintenance, data integrity, and adherence to established docketing procedures.
• Utilize FoundationIP and PracticeLink tools to create, customize, and distribute docket information for attorneys, staff, and clients.
• Review incoming file transfers and add related matter details to the docket system, including reviewing electronic sources such as USPTO and foreign jurisdiction websites.
• Identify opportunities to improve docketing workflows, deadline management processes, reporting, and communication practices to enhance accuracy and efficiency, and assist in developing and implementing solutions to achieve those improvements.
• Stay up to date with changes to trademark rules, regulations, docketing practices, and relevant technology solutions.
• Maintain excellent client service to internal and external clients.
• Other tasks as assigned.

Requirements

• Deep understanding of intellectual property rules and regulations in jurisdictions worldwide.
• Advanced experience with trademark docketing systems, with FoundationIP and PracticeLink strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to manage competing priorities, monitor critical deadlines, and proactively escalate potential issues.
• Ability to effectively communicate with attorneys and staff to identify needs and implement solutions.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify process improvement opportunities and recommend practical solutions.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, including Word and Excel, and document management systems such as NetDocuments.

Qualifications

• Associate's degree or equivalent work experience with a minimum of 5 years of trademark docketing experience.
• Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form.
• Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.
• Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.
• Ability to interpret an extensive variety of instructions and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.

Skills

• Demonstrated ability to multi-task and be detail-oriented with strong organizational skills.
• Strong communication skills.
• Excellent organizational and planning skills, with ability to prioritize multiple tasks and projects to meet deadlines.
• Ability to work overtime when needed. Work may require more than 40 hours per week to perform the essential duties of the position.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment with strict deadlines.
• Ability to exercise discretion with confidential and sensitive information.
• Must be able to perform essential duties of the position with time constraints and interruptions.
• A strong client service approach and team orientation.
• Demonstrate good judgment, tact, and flexibility under pressure in a mixed-matrix environment with competing priorities.

Physical Demands

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, documents, books, pen/pencil, paper, controls and manipulate a keyboard, and input data into a personal computer; and talk or hear.
• The employee is frequently required to talk.
• The employee is occasionally required to use hands to prepare correspondence and reports on a personal computer.
• The employee is occasionally required to stand and reach with hands and arms, stoop, kneel, bend, crouch or crawl.
• Ability to operate a variety of standard office equipment including a computer, copy and facsimile machines.
• The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

Work Environment

The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Benefits

• Competitive Salaries
• Performance Bonus Program
• Generous Time Off
• Generous Retirement Program including 401(k) Plan
• Group Health, Dental and Vision Insurance
• Healthy Wellness Program
• Life Insurance
• Voluntary Accident Insurance – Self and Family
• Short and Long-Term Disability
• Pre-Tax Benefit Programs

Pay

The expected annual salary for this position ranges from $85,000 to $115,000. The salary offered will be determined by a wide range of factors including but not limited to experience level, education/training, and relevant skills.