Practice Group Director—Intellectual Property & Advocacy

We’re seeking a Practice Group Director to drive the success of our firm‑wide Patent, Trademark, Regulatory Affairs, Labor & Employment, and Construction Litigation Practice Groups. In this highly visible role, you’ll partner closely with Practice Group leadership and key administrative functions, including HR, Finance, Marketing, Knowledge Management, and more to align practice priorities with firmwide initiatives, drive operational excellence, and champion people‑centered processes across Practice Groups.

This is a hybrid role and can be based in of any of our U.S. offices.

What you’ll do:

• Act as a strategic advisor to firm and Practice Group leadership on operational, people‑related, and administrative matters; identify needs and opportunities and lead designated initiatives to advance Practice Groups’ priorities.

• Lead operational and systems initiatives within Patent and Trademark practices, including workflow design, staffing models, quality controls, resource allocation, and cross‑department coordination; maintain deep knowledge of U.S. and foreign prosecution workflows and drive continuous improvement. Supervise Intellectual Property Practice Manager.

• Partner with administrative functions (HR, Finance, Information Services, Knowledge Management, Marketing, etc.) to advance Practice Groups’ priorities and facilitate effective implementation of firm initiatives and processes within Practice Groups.

• Lead people‑focused initiatives, policies, and processes at the Practice Group level, including onboarding and offboarding, succession planning, training and career development, workload management, performance management, compensation, and associate advancement to partnership.

• Coordinate with Finance on budgets, reporting, staffing models, profitability, and matter management; monitor industry and internal trends to recommend operational enhancements.

• Facilitate client reporting and budget tracking; collaborate with Marketing on cross‑practice initiatives, sponsor ships, conferences, RFPs, and intranet content.

• Support Practice Groups’ strategic business plans, clarify priorities, track progress, and help remove roadblocks; promote consistent communication across Practice Groups and administrative teams; identify and address morale, retention, and performance challenges.

What we’re looking for:

• At least 10–15 years of relevant supervisory and management experience.

• At least 7 years of patent and trademark experience, including U.S./foreign filing, prosecution, maintenance, and docketing (or an equivalent combination of education and experience).

• Thorough knowledge of U.S. and foreign patent and trademark rules and procedures, and best practices for patent and trademark operations (including docketing and technology).

• Strong leadership and project management skills; ability to manage multiple initiatives under pressure; advanced stakeholder management and influence without authority.

• Excellent collaboration and communication skills, strong analytical ability, and sound judgment managing sensitive personnel and risk issues; familiarity with budgeting, forecasting, profitability analysis, and performance reporting.

• Working knowledge of artificial intelligence tools and applications, with a willingness to learn and evaluate how emerging technologies can enhance operations, improve efficiency, and support effective decision‑making.

• Desired:
Advanced degree and prior law firm experience in HR or operations.

About Dorsey:

Dorsey & Whitney is a global law firm with over 650 lawyers across 22 offices in the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia. We provide strategic legal counsel to companies worldwide across a diverse range of industries, including banking & financial…