Associate - IP Litigation (Life Sciences 3-4 yr)

A leading global law firm with a top tier intellectual property litigation practice is seeking an associate at the 3rd to 4th year level to join its expanding life sciences team. This role presents a genuinely rare opportunity for a strong commercial litigator to transition into high-end IP litigation within a market-leading practice. The team is widely recognised for handling complex, high value patent and patent-adjacent disputes for major pharmaceutical and biopharma clients. The practice focuses on large scale litigation with significant commercial and global impact, including life sciences patent disputes, biologics and biosimilars litigation, and related antitrust, trade secret and commercial matters. Matters are routinely litigated in the most prominent US venues and coordinated with parallel proceedings in Europe and other key jurisdictions. What sets this opportunity apart is the firm's openness to candidates who have built excellent core litigation skills in commercial disputes and are now looking to retool into intellectual property litigation. Opportunities to make this transition at this level, within a top-ranked IP practice and with full institutional support, are increasingly uncommon. The team values sharp advocacy, strategic thinking and intellectual horsepower as highly as prior IP specialism. The practice is consistently ranked by Chambers and AmLaw and is known for giving associates early responsibility, meaningful trial exposure and close mentorship from experienced trial lawyers. Associates are fully integrated into the team and supported in developing technical and legal expertise in life sciences and patent litigation. The role offers a highly competitive compensation package, with base salary from $260,000 upwards, commensurate with class year and experience. The ideal candidate will demonstrate: Strong commercial or complex litigation experience with excellent drafting and advocacy skills An outstanding academic record A clear interest in intellectual property and life sciences disputes Prior exposure to patent litigation or PTAB proceedings is useful but not required International or European patent experience again is a plus but not essential Either a Judicial clerkship or Top 100 law firm experience is essential Motivation to invest in retooling into IP litigation within a demanding, high-performance environment A collaborative mindset and enthusiasm for partnering closely with clients and colleagues This is a standout opportunity for a high-calibre litigator to pivot into elite IP litigation work and build a long-term platform in a practice with global reach and market recognition.