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Careers

A Silicon Valley IP firm built on collaboration, where most associates start as interns and do substantive work under partner supervision.

Internships Attorneys Paralegals Staff

Student Internship

We run year-round law-student internships built around substantive IP work, prosecution, litigation, and corporate matters for real clients. Each intern is paired with a supervising attorney and routinely sits in on client calls and court hearings. San Jose office only.

Interns also join our weekly firm meeting and our internal legal-education sessions.

Past interns have come from U.C. Hastings, Boalt, Santa Clara University, University of San Francisco, Golden Gate, Stanford, Seattle University, Melbourne (Australia), University of Delhi (India), Saint Petersburg (Russia), Munster (Germany), and Turkish universities.

Requirements

Internships are unpaid; we reimburse local parking. After an internship, students become eligible for paid law-clerk positions. Prior IP experience is not required, though it helps.

  • Commitment to a minimum of 15 hours per week part-time, up to 40 hours full-time
  • Interest in Intellectual Property law and / or high-tech corporate law
  • IP coursework in law school
  • Patent interns should have a science background and have taken (or plan to take) the Patent Bar
  • A great attitude

Internship periods

Internships generally follow the trimester system; custom periods are possible for students with different schedules.

  • Spring: January through late April
  • Summer: late May through mid August
  • Fall: mid August / early September through early December
  • Custom periods arranged case-by-case

Types of internships

We offer internships across our main practice areas: Patent, Trademark / Copyright, Corporate, IP Litigation, and International Trade / U.S. Customs. Indicate your area of interest in your cover letter. An internship period is not long enough to cover more than one practice area, so areas cannot be combined.

  • Patent. Focuses on patent prosecution and litigation support training, closely with a patent attorney. A strong way to prepare for the Patent Bar.
  • Trademark / Copyright. Focuses on trademark and copyright prosecution and litigation matters, closely with a trademark attorney.
  • Corporate. Focuses on corporate matters, often for high-tech corporate clients.
  • General IP and Litigation. No single-area focus. Interns train in general civil litigation and may participate in IP litigation.
  • International Trade / U.S. Customs. Focuses on antidumping, customs seizures, and international transactions.

Foreign law students

Students from universities outside the U.S. are welcome to apply. The internship period can be customized to match your school's requirements; indicate your preferred dates in your cover letter.

Internships are unpaid training, so no visa sponsorship is possible. Students are responsible for obtaining a visa (a tourist visa is usually adequate for the period of an internship) and for arranging housing. We can share information on housing and public transportation once an internship is arranged. Our office is close to two large universities and private student housing.

Law-school credit

We are happy to help any law student obtain credit for an internship with their law school. If you are interested in credit:

  1. Check your law school's requirements
  2. Discuss your interest in credit in your introduction letter and at your interview
  3. Provide IPLG with a copy of your school's requirements for the internship
  4. Provide IPLG with your law school's evaluation form for the internship

Formal internship programs IPLG participates in:

  • Santa Clara University Law School's High Tech Internship Program

Training

We are committed to making sure every intern has hands-on experience working on substantive matters for real clients, side by side with attorneys. Weekly firm training sessions offer current-practice insights for attorneys and interns. Each intern is assigned to a supervising attorney who assigns work projects and supervises the work.

How to apply

If you are a law student interested in our internship program, send:

  1. Cover letter
  2. Resume
  3. Law-school transcript
  4. Writing sample (optional with the application, required at the interview)

Send these documents by mail or email attachment, attention: Intern Coordinator, 1871 The Alameda, Suite 250, San Jose, California 95126. Email info@iplg.com. We accept applications on a rolling basis; apply at least 2-3 months in advance of your preferred internship period.

Attorneys

While our law-student internship program is our primary route for hiring new associates, we are also interested in experienced patent attorneys and Intellectual Property prosecution and litigation specialists.

There are no attorney positions available at this time.

How to apply

Send the following to our Hiring Coordinator at the San Jose office:

  1. Cover letter
  2. Resume
  3. High school or undergraduate transcript
  4. Writing sample

Attention: Hiring Coordinator, 1871 The Alameda, Suite 250, San Jose, California 95126. Phone (408) 286-8933 or email info@iplg.com.

Paralegals and Legal Assistants

Paralegals and legal assistants are important skilled team members at IPLG, supporting our attorneys on Intellectual Property prosecution and litigation matters and corporate matters.

There are no paralegal positions available at this time.

How to apply

Send the following to our Hiring Coordinator:

  1. Cover letter
  2. Resume
  3. Paralegal certificate program transcript (if applicable)
  4. High school or undergraduate transcript
  5. Writing sample

Applications are accepted and interviews conducted on an as-needed basis.

Staff

Staff members of the IPLG team provide administrative and office support for clients and attorneys.

There are no staff positions available at this time.

How to apply

Send the following to our Hiring Coordinator at the San Jose office:

  1. Cover letter
  2. Resume
  3. High school or undergraduate transcript
  4. Writing sample

Applications are accepted and interviews conducted on an as-needed basis.