We are committed to recruiting, retaining, developing and promoting the best legal talent. Accordingly, the total compensation package-base salary, bonus and benefits-for all lawyers at the firm is highly competitive with that of other major law firms.

We welcome applications from judicial clerks. Our lawyers have clerked both at trial and appellate levels and in the federal and state courts. Approximately one-third of our recent incoming classes have come to the firm after serving one or more judicial clerkships. We also have a significant number of former US Supreme Court clerks.

The firm values the experience of clerkships and gives credit for clerkships for compensation and seniority purposes. We also pay a competitive bonus to incoming clerks.

WilmerHale’s Intellectual Property Practices provide comprehensive solutions to the intellectual property business challenges that face companies at all stages of growth—from individual inventors to large companies—in every aspect of their business that involves the acquisition, exploitation or protection of intellectual property. We offer full-service IP coverage in virtually every technology and product category, ranging from green technology, consumer goods, electronics, medical devices and manufacturing, to media and publishing, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, genetics, chemical engineering, semiconductor processing and nanotechnology.

Clients turn to us because we combine the specialized legal and technical skills normally associated with boutique intellectual property firms with the broad business and litigation capabilities of a major general practice firm. Like boutique firms, we counsel inventors, R&D teams and management on patent drafting and prosecution, reexaminations and interferences, trademark, copyright and trade secret protection, and IP portfolio development. Unlike most patent practices, however, we also offer interdisciplinary experience in technology transfer and licensing, litigation, sponsored and collaborative research agreements, and IP-related due diligence. We understand how IP relates to a company’s business and recognize that IP is a valuable asset.

As a Patent Agent or Patent Attorney with WilmerHale, you will be involved in a wide variety of types of work, including patent prosecution, client counseling, opinions, and IP transactional matters. If you join us as a Patent Agent or Patent Attorney, you will be expected to attend a multi-week orientation program in our Boston or New York office where you will meet with and be trained by our Intellectual Property personnel in that office. This orientation introduces our practice and offers concrete advice about working effectively. You will also attend an orientation in your home office to assist you in familiarizing yourself with your location and resources.

For the WilmerHale DiscoverySolutions team, the firm seeks to hire data analytics and investigations attorneys as well as discovery attorneys, both of whom should have an academic and personal record of achievement demonstrating a commitment to excellence. In addition, we are looking for individuals whose character, intelligence, judgment and training will inspire their colleagues and clients to have confidence in them. We also attempt to hire a diverse group of individuals because we believe our firm and our clients benefit from that diversity.

The firm seeks to hire technology specialists whose academic and personal record of achievement demonstrates a commitment to excellence. In addition, we are looking for individuals whose character, intelligence, judgment, and training will inspire their colleagues and clients to have confidence in them.

If you are invited to the firm, interviews will consist of a three hour visit, either morning or afternoon. Typically, you will be scheduled to meet with four to six attorneys for approximately 30 minutes each. If you have particular interests or concerns that might be best addressed by lawyers who share those interests—for example, working parents, women lawyers, LGBTQIA+ lawyers, lawyers of color or newly arrived lawyers—please let us know. We will make every effort to accommodate your request.

Out-of-town candidates: The firm will reimburse the interview expenses of out-of-town candidates who are invited in for a full round of interviews. Reimbursable expenses include reasonable air and train fare, ground transportation, hotel accommodations and reasonable cost of meals. For automobile travel, we will reimburse your mileage, tolls and parking fees. For more specific information, please contact our Legal Personnel and Development Department. We do not reimburse candidates for “prescreening” interviews.

Travel reimbursement form: Either prior to or during your visit to our office, you will receive an interview packet that contains a travel reimbursement form on which you should list your out-of-pocket expenses. Please provide all receipts when submitting your request for reimbursement.

We make every effort to respond to each candidate as quickly as possible.

If you are a search firm, please submit your candidate’s application here.

Please note that we require all search firms to sign and return an executed fee agreement if your candidate is selected for an interview. We will send you a copy of our fee agreement, if we do not already have an executed agreement on file with your search firm. We honor the first resume properly submitted online for a period of six months from the date of submission. Please note that we do not accept judicial clerk or entry-level resumes from legal search firms. 

In addition to the candidate resume, search firms should submit a copy of the candidate’s law school transcript. Search firms should also submit a writing sample for associate/senior associate and counsel candidates in litigation/controversy practices. After submission, please have your candidate request an official transcript if they are invited to our office for an interview. Search firms should only submit candidates who:

• Are members in good standing, or eligible to become a member, of the state bar of the jurisdiction in which the candidate will be practicing;
• Are not former employees in any capacity of the firm or its legacy firms;
• Are not a law student or judicial clerk;
• Have not submitted an application to the firm either directly or indirectly through another referral source and have not discussed employment with anyone at the firm during the preceding six months; and
• Have given the search firm express consent to be referred by the search firm to us.

Firmwide Lateral Partner Contact
Caroline Kane
Director, Professional Development and Training and Lateral Partner Recruitment
+1 202 247 3164

Firmwide Non-Partner Recruiting Contact
Lindsey Higgins
Director, Legal Recruitment
+1 617 526 5015

Firmwide Lateral Associate Contact 
Yujin An
Lateral Recruitment Manager
+1 212 295 6371

Boston Legal Recruitment
Danielle Fine
Legal Recruitment Manager
+1 617 526 5162

Denver Legal Recruitment
Jenny Vibert
Legal Recruitment Manager
+1 720 274 3166

Los Angeles Legal Recruitment
Cecilia Luppi
Legal Recruitment Manager
+1 213 443 5373

New York Legal Recruitment
Chelsea Marrocco
Legal Recruitment Manager
+1 212 230 8870

Northern California Legal Recruitment
Adrienne Walters
Legal Recruitment Manager
+1 628 235 1086

Washington DC Legal Recruitment
Rob Hashimoto
Legal Recruitment Manager
+1 202 247 2067

Beijing 
Lester Ross
Partner-in-Charge
+86 10 8529 7588 or
[email protected]
[email protected]

Berlin
Dr. Oliver Fleischmann
+49 30 20 22 63 56 or
[email protected]

Brussels
Frédéric Louis
Recruiting Partner
+32 2 285 49 53 or
[email protected]

Frankfurt
Prof. Dr. Hans-Georg Kamann
+49 69 27 10 78 204 or 
[email protected]

London 
John A. Trenor
Recruiting Partner
+1 202 663 6222 or
[email protected]