Senior Counsel, Patent Prosecution
Posted Sep 1, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026
Likely interview questions for this role
Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.
What would you do
You'd draft, file and prosecute patent applications worldwide, directly and through outside counsel. What do you keep in house and what do you send out?
What they are checking: Whether they have a clear rule for what stays in house and what goes to outside counsel, balancing cost, control and expertise.
You'd advise research and business teams on intellectual property matters. How do you advise a scientist who wants to publish something you may want to patent?
What they are checking: Whether they can protect the invention without simply blocking publication, keeping the trust of scientists who want to share their work.
How do you manage outside counsel so the work is good and the bill is defensible?
What they are checking: Whether they direct outside firms closely and check bills against the work, keeping quality high and legal spend easy to justify.
About the work
This is an in-house patent prosecution role developing intellectual property strategy for research and development programs. Walk me through a portfolio you have built.
What they are checking: Whether they think about a whole portfolio protecting a research program over time, rather than treating each filing as a separate task.
You'd challenge and defend patents in review, opposition and other post-grant proceedings. What have you handled, and how did it go?
What they are checking: Whether they have actually handled oppositions or post-grant reviews themselves, and can speak honestly about results, including ones that went against them.
How do you decide when to file, given that filing starts clocks and publishes your thinking?
What they are checking: Whether they weigh filing early against waiting for stronger data, because timing decides how long protection lasts and what competitors learn.
You'd conduct prior art searches and analyze third-party patent positions. How do you deliver a freedom-to-operate view that a business can act on?
What they are checking: Whether they can turn a complex prior art analysis into a clear risk call that business leaders can actually act on.
You'd support business development due diligence. What do you look for in a target's patent estate?
What they are checking: Whether they have a disciplined way to test a target's patents for strength, ownership and expiry, since deal value often rests there.
What is changing in pharmaceutical patent law that a company should be planning for?
What they are checking: Whether they follow changes in patent law and policy closely enough to give the company time to adjust its strategy.
The posting requires a law degree, state bar admission enabling in-house practice, registration to practice before the patent office, and five or more years in patent law, at North Chicago. Where do you stand on each?
What they are checking: Whether they meet each required credential, including bar admission and patent office registration, since this role cannot be done without them.
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Practice this out loudThe full job description
As published by AbbVie.