In PersonPrimarily in-person at the Adams Morgan office; floating remote days provide occasional flexibility.
LegalIntellectual Property (IP)
About the job
Requirements
A Ph.D. in life sciences, chemistry, biochemistry, pharmaceutical sciences, biotechnology, or a closely related discipline is required.
A J.D. and active membership in good standing in at least one U.S. jurisdiction are required.
Active USPTO registration is required.
Approximately 1–2+ years of substantive patent prosecution experience is required; qualifying experience may be as an attorney, patent agent, student associate, or technical specialist.
The candidate should demonstrate scientific reasoning, analytical writing, intellectual curiosity, sound judgment, and an ability to learn quickly.
The candidate should welcome feedback, take ownership, follow through reliably, and provide excellent client service.
Responsibilities
Draft patent applications and substantive Office Action responses.
Analyze prior art, develop claim amendments, and formulate prosecution strategies.
Conduct patentability analyses and participate in inventor and scientist interviews.
Support U.S. and international patent prosecution and broader portfolio strategy.
Communicate with clients, collaborate with legal-support professionals, and develop ownership of the docket.
Description
Washington, DC | Full-Time | Primarily In-Person
You earned a Ph.D. You became a lawyer. You chose patent law.
What kind of patent lawyer do you want to become?
Hylton-Rodic Law (HRL) is looking for an ambitious, early-career patent attorney who wants to become exceptionally good at this profession—and help build something meaningful along the way.
We are a growing Washington, DC intellectual property boutique serving sophisticated life sciences, biotechnology, pharmaceutical, chemical, university, startup, and other innovation-driven clients.
We have spent a decade building this firm. We are nowhere near finished.
The Opportunity
This is a producing attorney role involving sophisticated science, rigorous legal analysis, and meaningful responsibility. Depending on your experience and demonstrated capabilities, you will:
Draft patent applications and substantive Office Action responses.
Analyze prior art, develop claim amendments, and formulate prosecution strategies.
Conduct patentability analyses and participate in inventor and scientist interviews.
Support U.S. and international patent prosecution and broader portfolio strategy.
Communicate with clients, collaborate with legal-support professionals, and develop ownership of your docket.
You will receive substantive guidance and rigorous feedback, with increasing responsibility as your capabilities develop.
We want to help you become the lawyer who no longer needs constant supervision—not simply the lawyer who has accumulated another year of experience.
Requirements
What We're Looking For
Required Qualifications
Ph.D. in life sciences, chemistry, biochemistry, pharmaceutical sciences, biotechnology, or a closely related discipline.
J.D. and active membership in good standing in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.
Active USPTO registration.
Approximately 1–2+ years of substantive patent prosecution experience, including qualifying experience as an attorney, patent agent, student associate, or technical specialist.
Beyond the Credentials
We value exceptional scientific reasoning, analytical writing, intellectual curiosity, sound judgment, and the ability to learn quickly.
You should welcome feedback, take ownership, follow through reliably, and care deeply about excellent client service. We want someone intellectually confident enough to contribute, humble enough to keep learning, and adventurous enough to help shape a growing practice.
A prestigious résumé is welcome. Demonstrated capability matters more.
Your Career. Your Accelerator.
HRL's standard annual expectation is approximately 1,700 billed hours. We believe excellent legal work and a meaningful life outside the office can coexist.
For attorneys who want to pursue greater production, our performance-based compensation program provides additional earning opportunities.
Base Salary: $140,000–$165,000
Performance-Based Compensation: Exceptional production and performance can unlock $75,000+ in additional annual cash compensation, subject to applicable quality, efficiency, client-service, case-management, and other firm performance standards.
We reward excellent work, ownership, and results—not the appearance of being busy.
High Standards. Human Workplace.
We believe sophisticated legal work does not require a traditional corporate law-firm culture. At HRL, you are part of a close-knit, growing team where your contributions are visible, your ideas matter, and you have a genuine opportunity to help shape the firm around you.
We take client service seriously. There will be demanding days, and we expect our team to deliver when it matters. But we do not confuse long hours with excellence or believe that permanent urgency is a measure of commitment. Our approximately 1,700-hour annual expectation reflects that philosophy.
We also invest in making HRL a place worth coming to. Our benefits include medical, dental, and vision insurance; 401(k) with employer match; commuter benefits; paid leave and holidays; quarterly mental health days; birthday leave; year-end firm closure; Sunshine Fridays; floating remote days; and a milestone-based paid sabbatical program.
Primarily in person is intentional. Our Adams Morgan office is a place for collaboration, mentorship, spontaneous conversations, and real-time professional development—not simply somewhere to log hours. We value being together while recognizing that life sometimes calls for flexibility.
High expectations. Real opportunity. A workplace built for people.
How to Apply
Please submit your résumé/CV and a cover letter addressing two questions:
What should we know about you? Tell us something meaningful about the person behind the credentials.
Three years from now, what do you hope is different about you as a lawyer? What will you be able to do that you cannot do today?
Selected candidates may be asked to provide transcripts, prosecution writing samples, a short video assessment, or complete a practical exercise.
We are looking for someone ambitious enough to want more, humble enough to keep learning, and disciplined enough to deliver.
Adventurous about possibility. Disciplined about execution.