Senior Patent Attorney — Intellectual Property Legal Team

U.S. Bank Law Division is seeking an experienced patent attorney to help lead and grow our strategically important patent portfolio, serving as a trusted partner to inventors from early idea development through patent issuance and long-term portfolio strategy. U.S. Bank's innovation revolves around artificial intelligence, data science, cryptography, cybersecurity, digital banking, quantum computing, and more.

This position rewards a curious, entrepreneurial, and self‑directed attorney who is eager to dive in, get to know our business and technology deeply, and then identify and solve problems with minimal supervision.

Primary Responsibilities

• Manage the patent portfolio: help set and then execute strategic priorities across patent families, prioritize filings, and make thoughtful decisions about continuations, divisionals, and long‑term family management.
• Oversee ongoing prosecution end‑to‑end, directing outside counsel in the drafting and prosecution of applications and ensuring consistent quality across the portfolio.
• Build deep, lasting relationships with a dedicated group of inventors, serving as their go‑to counsel from initial idea harvesting through disclosure, filing, prosecution, and issuance.
• Design and assist with invention‑harvesting and disclosure sessions, work with our strategic business partners to help inventors articulate their concepts and identifying the strategic value of each to the broader portfolio.
• Evaluate and continually improve the quality of patents and applications throughout the disclosure and prosecution process.
• Provide strategic IP counsel to research and development teams working on emerging technologies.
• Grow your practice into adjacent, high‑impact work – supporting matters related to AI governance, innovation initiatives, data management, licensing, technology contracts, and other IP and tech‑focused legal issues across the Law Division.

Location Expectations

The role offers a hybrid schedule with an in‑office expectation of 3 or more days per week and the flexibility to work outside the office the remaining days. May require occasional business travel to meet with inventors in other locations.

Basic Qualifications

• Licensed by and in good standing with the appropriate state bar association or other appropriate state attorney licensing authority.
• Registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO registration number required).

Preferred Skills/Experience

• Eight or more years of patent experience, ideally a mix of firm and in-house time, including substantial patent prosecution, portfolio management, and direct inventor interaction.
• Demonstrated experience managing a patent portfolio and patent families over their full lifecycle, including continuation strategy.
• Strong technical background and understanding of software and development, with specific familiarity with the technical aspects of digital banking, AI, blockchain, and modern technology infrastructure.
• Proven ability to direct and manage outside counsel effectively.
• Experience with patent litigation is a plus.
• Experience with trade secrets, licensing, and technology transactions is a plus.
• Strong internal client‑development skills to reach out to, earn the trust of, and collaborate with inventors and teams doing cutting‑edge work.
• Ability to work with minimal supervision and exercise independent judgment and discretion.
• A curious spirit excited to shape and lead a specialized legal practice in a corporate setting.
• Ability to assess risks and provide thoughtful advice in a fast‑paced environment.
• Excellent written, oral, and interpersonal communication skills, and a strong commitment to client service.

Our Values

Successful candidates for a position in the U.S. Bank Law Division support U.S. Bank's core values, which guide what we do every day:

• We do the right thing.
• We power potential.
• We stay a step ahead.
• We draw strength from diversity.
• We put people first.

We are proud that U.S. Bank has been recognized as a World’s Most Ethical Company® by the Ethisphere Institute, and has been named the #1 Most Admired Superregional Bank by Fortune magazine.

In the U.S. Bank Law Division, we honor those values through our mission: "we guide our clients to remarkable results with expert legal counsel." Our commitment is evident in the work we do, not only for the bank, but for our communities. The Law Division has received several awards for its pro bono contributions, including the Minnesota Corporate Pro Bono Council’s “Excellence in Pro Bono Award,” and we encourage our legal professionals to contribute time and expertise to pro bono work as part of their role.