Senior Counsel - Intellectual Property

Senior Counsel – Intellectual Property

JD from an accredited law school
Admission to the California Bar or eligible to register as in-house counsel with the California Bar
8+ years combined experience at a well-respected law firm and in-house legal department
Strategic mindset that balances proactive protection with pragmatic risk management within resource constraints
Proven ability to translate complex IP concepts into concise, actionable advice for engineering teams and cross-functional executive leadership
Expertise in patent strategy, prosecution, and licensing negotiations
Hands-on experience managing trademark prosecution and global brand enforcement for consumer-facing digital platforms
Experience advising on software licensing, open source compliance, and copyright issues
Proven ability to develop and mentor legal professionals with various levels of experience
Curiosity and ability to jump into less familiar areas and learn while doing

Uplevel our IP program by refining priorities, mitigation strategies, and processes based on emerging products and risks
Advise Product, Engineering, Sales and Marketing teams and provide creative, practical IP solutions across trademark, copyright, patent, and trade secret
Advance Discord’s patent program with targeted strategies for key technology domains
Collaborate with in-house and outside counsel and cross-functional partners on patent licensing, including hands-on drafting and negotiations
Optimize global trademark enforcement and brand protection with Sales and Marketing input
Provide clear, flexible IP guidance across Legal workstreams (Litigation, Product, Commercial, Marketing, Corporate)
Manage our in-bound and out-bound open source program with Engineering management
Create documentation, processes, and engaging trainings to scale IP education and compliance
Streamline resources through effective counsel management, strategic AI use, and cross-industry engagements

In-house legal department experience with a consumer-oriented tech company
Familiarity with video and audio technologies, particularly video codecs
Strong interest in effectively applying AI to IP enforcement
Experience reviewing marketing assets and commercial license terms for IP issues
Experience with music licensing transactions
Appreciation for absurd and improbable hypotheticals