Patent Attorney — Life Sciences & Chemistry (Ph.D.)

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.

Our philosophy is simple:

Competence + Judgment + Ownership ? Trust ? Autonomy.

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.