Patent Law

Paralegal - Law Firm - Seattle, Wash.

By Dennis Crouch

Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people?s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people?especially those with the fewest resources?have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, the foundation is led by CEO Patty Stonesifer and co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation seeks a paralegal. "Guidance, Solutions, Integrity" describes the Legal Team's approach to providing responsive legal guidance supporting the implementation of the foundation's strategies. The Legal Team offers creative solutions that accomplish programmatic objectives, develops and implements efficient legal processes to streamline the foundation's grantmaking and contracting practices, and applies preventive legal strategies and compliance policies to minimize risks and safeguard the foundation's reputation.

Under the direction of the Deputy General Counsel (DGC) and Associate General Counsel (AGC) conduct activities in support of the Foundation's global health grant making, including the following:
? Conduct initial review of high volume of grant proposals and, in particular, assist in the implementation of new Grand Challenges Explorations program, escalating issues to AGC or DGC as appropriate
? Assist in preparation of due diligence requests, including those related to intellectual property issues, and evaluation of responses
? Assist in maintaining databases regarding grantee commitments and intellectual property
? Work with Foundation Program Officers and DGC/AGC as needed to monitor grantee compliance with terms of grant agreements, and draft reports as necessary
? May conduct initial review of other legal documents as necessary to ensure compliance with Foundation's policies and practices, including confidentiality agreements, conflict of interest disclosure forms, etc.
? Assist in coordinating and updating legal team workflow tools, including project status lists, project binders, tracking documents, and document management systems
? Produce internal and external communication materials associated with legal team projects and presentations
? Attend meetings and prepare minutes, as required

Contact:
Interested applicants should contact the Foundation at careers@gatesfoundation.org.

Additional Info:
Employer Type: Law Firm
Job Location: Seattle

Full post as published by Patent Law Jobs by Patently-O on May 01, 2008 (boomark / email).