Join the World's Top Legal Talent Network

This Patent Counsel position will support Fluke’s growth and innovation in an industry evolving from traditional hardware products to software, AI-enabled workflow solutions and services. We build extraordinary teams that courageously craft valuable innovative IP. We are looking for a passionate and curious patent attorney to join our Legal IP team. This is the opportunity to join a skilled and collaborative legal team and help us continue building a strong culture of targeted innovation that extends our sustainable competitive advantage. This person will use their patent knowledge and innovation expertise to drive value across a global organization.

Responsibilities: 

• Develop and advance the global patent strategy, with a focus on the assessment of the patent portfolio and alignment with business needs, priorities, and resources to improve and protect value
• Work closely with inventors and engineers to identify, evaluate, and protect patentable and strategic inventions, and provide recommendations on best courses of actions to protect proprietary technology
• Collaborate with inventors and engineers to elicit invention disclosures
• Provide legal advice on patentability of inventions, validity of patents, and patent infringement
• Collaborate with engineers, inventors, product development teams, and other in-house and outside attorneys, to review, draft, and coordinate patent applications, prosecution, and other IP documentation and related agreements
• Provide guidance during the new product design and development process
• Prepare and prosecute U.S. patent applications as needed and work with outside counsel and foreign associates for preparation and prosecution of international patent applications
• Assist with the analysis of Patent Office Actions, gather relevant data and information, and when needed draft responses to the actions to obtain allowance of claims
• Conduct prior art and invalidity searches
• Analyze and monitor patent landscape in support of new market entry, mergers, and acquisitions and advise on FTO and patentability considerations for complex technologies
• Manage the patent docket, complete docket reviews, and provide recommendations on patent maintenance and foreign filing decisions
• Track patent related projects, manage timelines, and keep leadership informed of progress
• Provide recommendations on trade secret protection
• Effectively manage the patent budget
• Participate in due diligence related to patent acquisitions for new businesses or products
• Review and advise on license and other IP agreements
• Continuously improve processes and workflows
• Create and present trainings to different business teams

Qualifications: 

• JD or equivalent from an accredited law school
• Admitted to practice before the USPTO and in at least one state in the United States 
• 5+ years of demonstrated ability, with a preference for candidates with in-house experience
• Knowledge of applicable laws and regulations, including patent, copyright, and trade secret
• Experience and comfort working in a matrixed organization across functions 
• Strong ability to spot legal and business issues and provide solutions or paths to resolution from a legal lens 
• A technically curious, perceptive, proactive, and inquisitive problem-solver
• Strong process acumen and organizational and project management skills including prioritizing multiple concurrent projects and reporting progress and risks
• Ability to own and drive projects to completion
• Understanding business objectives and being able to appropriately assess risk and see opportunities
• Maturity to interact optimally and with confidence across all leadership levels to earn their trust and create demand
• Excellent verbal, written, and presentation skills
• Superior influencing and networking skills
• Service-oriented focus with ability to work as part of cross-functional teams and drive results
• Highest integrity, excellent judgment, and the ability to pro-actively recognize and effectively communicate legal issues to engineers, inventors, and management
• Relationship and trust builder
• Ability to interact with technical and business teams at all levels
• Self-motivated and able to work independently in a fast-paced environment, with the ability to provide prompt, proactive, and practical business and legal recommendations and decisions

Fortive Corporation Overview

Fortive’s essential technology makes the world stronger, safer, and smarter. We accelerate transformation across a broad range of applications including environmental, health and safety compliance, industrial condition monitoring, next-generation product design, and healthcare safety solutions.

We are a global industrial technology innovator with a startup spirit. Our forward-looking companies lead the way in software-powered workflow solutions, data-driven intelligence, AI-powered automation, and other disruptive technologies. We’re a force for progress, working alongside our customers and partners to solve challenges on a global scale, from workplace safety in the most demanding conditions to groundbreaking sustainability solutions.

We are a diverse team 18,000 strong, united by a dynamic, inclusive culture and energized by limitless learning and growth. We use the proven Fortive Business System (FBS) to accelerate our positive impact.

At Fortive, we believe in you. We believe in your potential—your ability to learn, grow, and make a difference.

At Fortive, we believe in us. We believe in the power of people working together to solve problems no one could solve alone.