As a technology leader that is rapidly on the move, HARMAN is filled with people who are focused on making life better. Innovation, inclusivity and teamwork are a part of our DNA. When you add that to the challenges we take on and solve together, you’ll discover that at HARMAN you can grow, make a difference and be proud of the work you do every day.
Introduction: A Career at HARMAN Corporate
We’re a global, multi-disciplinary team that’s putting the innovative power of technology to work and transforming tomorrow. At HARMAN Corporate, you are integral to our company’s award-winning success.
- Enrich your managerial and organizational talents – from finance, quality, and supply chain to human resources, IT, sales, and strategy
- Augment your comprehensive skillset with expert training across decision-making, change management, leadership, and business development
- Obtain 360-degree support throughout your career life cycle, from early-stage to seasoned leader
About the Role
As a Patent Paralegal you will support the Intellectual Property Group in managing and protecting HARMAN’s global patent portfolio across a diverse range of technologies.
The Patent Paralegal will partner closely with in-house attorneys, inventors, business leaders, and outside counsel to support patent prosecution activities, portfolio management, docketing, reporting, and intellectual property operations. This position requires strong organizational skills, attention to detail, sound judgment, and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
The ideal candidate is proactive, client-focused, and comfortable working independently while collaborating across global teams. A high degree of professionalism, discretion, and integrity is essential, along with experience supporting both U.S. and foreign patent matters.
Your Team
The HARMAN Intellectual Property Group manages a broad range of intellectual property matters, including patent and trademark prosecution, licensing, litigation, and IP due diligence on a global scale. Our team is committed to maintaining high-quality data and processes that enable exceptional service to our internal clients.
Reporting to the Senior Paralegal, IP Operations, you will join a collaborative team of paralegals supporting multiple attorneys, business partners, and inventors worldwide. This role offers the opportunity to contribute to a portfolio of cutting-edge technologies while working alongside experienced legal and IP professionals.
What You Will Do
- Support in-house patent attorneys throughout all phases of U.S. and foreign patent prosecution, including coordination of filings managed by outside counsel.
- Maintain accurate and complete records for global patent matters, including invention disclosures, patent applications, prosecution activities, correspondence, due dates, cost information, and related legal matters within Anaqua, Legal Tracker, and other systems.
- Monitor and maintain patent dockets, ensuring the accuracy of bibliographic data, deadlines, and matter-related information across multiple databases and records.
- Prepare, coordinate, and process patent-related documents, including declarations, assignments, powers of attorney, petitions, and other prosecution-related filings.
- Serve as a key liaison among in-house attorneys, inventors, business leaders, and domestic and international outside counsel to facilitate patent filings, gather information, obtain required approvals, and support ongoing portfolio activities.
- Track and maintain records of communications, strategic portfolio information, and other confidential intellectual property matters provided by attorneys, business stakeholders, and external partners.
- Generate, analyze, and distribute patent portfolio reports, prosecution dockets, invention disclosure reports, foreign filing reports, and other information used by legal, business, and financial stakeholders.
- Collaborate with the global IP Operations team on departmental initiatives, process improvements, best practices, and data quality efforts.
- Provide guidance and training to internal clients, inventors, outside counsel, and team members on IP processes, database usage, and Legal Department procedures.
- Serve as a backup for other paralegals and provide general administrative and project support to the Intellectual Property Group as needed.
What You Need
- 5+ years of experience as a Patent Paralegal, Patent Legal Assistant, or Patent Legal Secretary within a law firm or corporate legal department.
- 3+ years of experience working with IP management systems and patent docketing databases; Anaqua experience strongly preferred.
- Demonstrated experience managing patent prosecution dockets, analyzing patent bibliographic data, calculating and maintaining due dates, and coordinating with attorneys, clients, and outside counsel.
- Strong working knowledge of U.S. patent prosecution procedures, PCT processes, and foreign patent filing requirements and deadlines.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint, and the ability to work effectively across multiple databases and systems.
- Experience generating and analyzing reports from IP management, billing, and business systems.
- Proven ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment while meeting deadlines and adapting to changing business needs.
- Exceptional attention to detail, organizational skills, and problem-solving abilities.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including professional business correspondence, proofreading, and stakeholder engagement.
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a global, cross-functional team environment.
- Business fluency in English and familiarity with intellectual property terminology.
What is Nice to Have
- Working knowledge of European and other foreign Patent rules and procedures highly preferred.
- Working knowledge of Trademarks, Trade Secrets, Defensive Publications, and Copyrights preferred.
- Experience producing graphs and charts in Excel, and presentations in PowerPoint, highly preferred.
- Experience working with the Anaqua I.P. Management system highly preferred.
- Experience working with legal billing systems preferred, with high preference for experience with Thomson Reuters’ Legal Tracker (Serengeti) billing system.
- Some college preferred.
- A command of business and legal terminology preferred.
What Makes You Eligible
- Be willing to work in an office in the Novi, Michigan.
- Be willing to work a 40-hour work week, and the flexibility to work overtime if necessary.
- Be willing to work as a part of a global and close-knit team.
What We Offer
- An inclusive and diverse multi-national work environment that fosters and encourages professional and personal development.
- Opportunity to collaborate with talented teams across the organization.
- Competitive salary with potential for growth.
- Excellent benefit package, including health, dental, vision, and life insurance, flexible spending, 401K, and more.
- Access to employee discounts on world-class HARMAN (JBL, HARMAN/Kardon, AKG, etc.) and Samsung products.
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Salary Ranges:
HARMAN is proud to be an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.
Skills Required
- 5+ years as a Patent Paralegal, Patent Legal Assistant, or Patent Legal Secretary in a law firm or corporate legal department
- 3+ years experience working with IP management systems and patent docketing databases
- Demonstrated experience managing patent prosecution dockets, bibliographic data, due date calculations, and coordinating with attorneys and outside counsel
- Strong working knowledge of U.S. patent prosecution procedures, PCT processes, and foreign patent filing requirements and deadlines
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications (Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint)
- Experience generating and analyzing reports from IP management, billing, and business systems
- Proven ability to manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and adapt in a fast-paced environment
- Exceptional attention to detail, organizational skills, and problem-solving abilities
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills and professional business correspondence/proofreading
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a global, cross-functional team environment
- Business fluency in English and familiarity with intellectual property terminology
- Willingness to work in an office in Novi, Michigan (on-site)
- Willingness to work a 40-hour week and flexibility to work overtime when necessary
- Working knowledge of European and other foreign patent rules and procedures
- Working knowledge of trademarks, trade secrets, defensive publications, and copyrights
- Experience producing graphs and charts in Excel and presentations in PowerPoint
- Experience with the Anaqua IP management system
- Experience with legal billing systems, preferably Thomson Reuters Legal Tracker (Serengeti)
- Some college education
- Command of business and legal terminology
Harman Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Harman and has not been reviewed or approved by Harman.
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Healthcare Strength — Healthcare coverage is described as comprehensive, often including medical, dental, and vision plans, with HSAs/FSAs and disability or life insurance also referenced. Wellbeing support such as EAP access and onsite occupational health services is also part of the package in some regions.
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Wellbeing & Lifestyle Benefits — Lifestyle-oriented benefits include employee product discounts and region-specific perks like free fruit deliveries, Cycle to Work schemes, and meal coupons or allowances. Flexible schedules and work-from-home options are also part of the overall offering where roles and projects allow.
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Fair & Transparent Compensation — Pay is repeatedly characterized as solid or market-aligned for many roles, with salary payments described as consistent and on time. Compensation is also tied to performance in some accounts, reinforcing a perception of basic fairness for a portion of employees.
Harman Insights
What We Do
Headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, HARMAN (harman.com) designs and engineers connected products and solutions for automakers, consumers, and enterprises worldwide, including connected car systems, audio and visual products, enterprise automation solutions; and services supporting the Internet of Things. With leading brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, Mark Levinson® and Revel®, HARMAN is admired by audiophiles, musicians and the entertainment venues where they perform around the world. More than 50 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and connected car systems. Our software services power billions of mobile devices and systems that are connected, integrated and secure across all platforms, from work and home to car and mobile. HARMAN has a workforce of approximately 30,000 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. In March 2017, HARMAN became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. HARMAN is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action employer. Minorities, women, veterans and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply. HARMAN offers a great work environment, challenging career opportunities, professional training and competitive compensation. Looking for a challenge where your experience is valued? Come see what you can achieve as a leader with HARMAN!
