Patent Prosecution Associate - AI & Emerging Technologies

SankerIP is a specialized intellectual property boutique focused on high-stakes patent prosecution and IP strategy for complex technologies, including AI/ML, software, semiconductor devices, and cybersecurity. Ranked by Chambers in 2025 and 2026 for both AI and IP and twice named a Top AI Attorney by the Daily Journal, we provide clients with elite, litigation-ready patent portfolios without BigLaw overhead. We operate a high-growth, agile practice that rejects rigid, multi-year lockstep tracks in favor of a direct, merit-based path to firm leadership.

The Opportunity

We are seeking a technically exceptional Patent Attorney to manage sophisticated portfolios for emerging tech startups and established technology companies. Working directly alongside the firm’s founder - a recognized AI patent expert and former Morgan Lewis partner - you will take immediate ownership of complex files, interface directly with inventors, and directly influence the firm's growth.

Key Responsibilities

• Advanced Patent Prosecution: Prepare and prosecute high-quality US and international patent applications across a variety of technologies, including AI/ML, advanced software architecture, semiconductor devices, AR/VR, medical devices, and diagnostics.
• Strategic Counseling : Independent drafting of patent claims, responses to complex Office Actions, and PTAB appeals. Conduct patentability and freedom-to-operate (FTO) searches.
• Client Management: Lead disclosure meetings with startup founders, executives, and enterprise engineers to identify patentable subject matter and align IP portfolios with business goals.
• Practice Development : Participate in firm scaling, mentorship of junior technical staff, and strategic operational initiatives.

Who You Are Beyond the Resume

• An Entrepreneurial Mindset: You don’t wait for instruction; you see a strategic need and solve it.
• Comfort with Velocity : You are energized by rapid growth, ambiguity, and the shifting landscape of emerging tech.
• Uncompromising Technical Depth : You possess the technical rigor required to command the immediate respect of Silicon Valley’s brightest engineers and founders.

What We Offer

• Uncapped Partnership Track : A transparent, accelerated path to equity and firm leadership driven purely by capability and execution, not institutional seniority.
• Elite Mentorship : Direct, daily collaboration with a premier practitioner holding a Ph.D. in Mathematics and JD from UC Berkeley, bringing nearly two decades of BigLaw experience with patent law.
• Sophisticated Practice : Immediate exposure to high-profile tech matters and complex legal strategy without bureaucratic red tape.

**SankerIP is an equal opportunity employer. **

Qualifications & Requirements

• Experience : Minimum of 3 years of dedicated US patent prosecution experience.
• Technical Background : Master’s degree required (Ph.D. strongly preferred) in Electrical Engineering; Computer Science or closely related field considered only with substantial hands-on hardware/circuit-level experience.
• Credentials : Active registration with the USPTO is required. (*Note: A law degree (JD) is not required for this role.)
• AI Expertise : Demonstrable experience drafting and prosecuting applications involving AI/ML architectures and applications.