Paralegal

To provide intellectual property legal support for the Church.

In general, the incumbent must know and understand intellectual property laws and Church policies and procedures to protect the Church’s materials to the maximum degree the law allows and protect the Church from infringing upon intellectual property rights of others. In carrying out these responsibilities, the incumbent exercises professional discretion and independent judgement on matters of significance.

35%:
Reviews and analyzes potential Church materials and exercises discretion whether to certify that intellectual property contracts, policies, and procedures are in place to protect the Church from financial and reputational harm.

15%:
Manages all third-party licensing requests for Church-owned or licensed materials. Independently review, investigate, and analyze requests against Church’s intellectual property rights and policies. Frequently coordinates with Church departments and legal counsel. Negotiates legal terms as needed. Exercises discretion whether to grant or deny permission on requests to use materials.

15%:
Coordinates all trademark registrations and renewals for the Church. Researches and creates trademark class descriptions, budget analysis, and trademark searches to determine viability of potential applications. Works with Church departments and area offices to collect specimens for applications and maintenance of trademarks. Coordinates trademark applications and renewals with Church and outside legal counsel. Responsible for management of the trademark docketing system.

Coordinates copyright registration of all widely distributed Church-owned materials.

15%:
Coordinates intellectual property infringement matters for the Church. Independently reviews, investigates, and analyzes infringement submissions against Church’s intellectual property rights and policies. Frequently coordinates with other departments. Coordinates with legal counsel and determines course of action. Corresponds with infringing parties and works towards amicable resolutions. Submits intellectual property infringement claims to social media organizations on behalf of the Church.

10%:
Reviews and analyzes third party contracts and work with legal counsel to determine acceptability of the terms of the agreements and risk assessments on undocumented Church materials.

5%:
Provides specialized intellectual property training for assigned department IP managers and general training for all Church departments and area offices.

5%:
Other duties as assigned.

• Paralegal certification and four years of directly-related paralegal experiences is required. (Definition of "certified" means passing a nationally recognized paralegal examination. The National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA) is one example of a recognized organization.)
• Demonstrated personal computer skills with significant experience in word processing, database, spreadsheet, and e-mail software products, Notary Public, ability to analyze and document complex legal situations and explain them to others, and excellent writing skills.
• Although the above requirements refer to the credentials of the individual, it must be noted that the position itself must be of the appropriate complexity to justify the grade level. Example, a paralegal position in a working environment where diversified legal disciplines are routinely worked on by the incumbent may be considered a higher level paralegal position.