Block is one company built from many blocks, all united by the same purpose of economic empowerment. The blocks that form our foundational teams — People, Finance, Counsel, Hardware, Information Security, Platform Infrastructure Engineering, and more — provide support and guidance at the corporate level. They work across business groups and around the globe, spanning time zones and disciplines to develop inclusive People policies, forecast finances, give legal counsel, safeguard systems, nurture new initiatives, and more. Every challenge creates possibilities, and we need different perspectives to see them all. Bring yours to Block.

Block is looking for an attorney with a passion for all things patents to join our legal organization. You will counsel engineers and business leaders on a wide array of patent-related and other technology issues. You will also work with internal patent professionals and outside counsel to manage TIDAL's patent portfolio. You will report to the Patents Lead.

You will:

• Build a strategic and defensive patent portfolio spanning multiple product and solution categories for TIDAL, with focus on invention identification and harvesting, strategic benchmarking, global portfolio growth, and collaboration with outside counsel on patent application preparation and prosecution

• Work with our patent operations team to manage processes for Block's patent portfolio, including patent incentives, IDS filings, and docket management

• Review TIDAL's existing and planned products, business activities, and R&D in the context of IP risks as they relate to competitor activities, industry trends, best practices, and laws and regulations

• Help create content for the team's educational and outreach communications within and outside Block

You have:

• JD degree and membership in at least one state bar

• Admission to the USPTO Bar

• Undergraduate degree in a technical field, preferably in computer science, electrical engineering, software engineering, or related fields

• Minimum of five years of relevant patent preparation and prosecution experience with US, preferably with some in-house experience. Knowledge of and experience working on EP patents is a strong plus

• Fluency in communicating legal concepts, issues and risks

• Experience with patent litigation, and in other IP disciplines such as copyrights, trademarks, open source, and trade secrets would be desirable

• Interest in TIDAL’s technology and a good understanding of the IP that comes out of technology development

We’re working to build a more inclusive economy where our customers have equal access to opportunity, and we strive to live by these same values in building our workplace. Block is a proud equal opportunity employer. We work hard to evaluate all employees and job applicants consistently, without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, pregnancy, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation, citizenship, or any other legally protected class. 

We believe in being fair, and are committed to an inclusive interview experience, including providing reasonable accommodations to disabled applicants throughout the recruitment process. We encourage applicants to share any needed accommodations with their recruiter, who will treat these requests as confidentially as possible. Want to learn more about what we’re doing to build a workplace that is fair and square? Check out our I+D page. 

Additionally, we consider qualified applicants with criminal histories for employment on our team, assessing candidates in a manner consistent with the requirements of the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.

Perks

We want you to be well and thrive. Our global benefits package includes:

• Healthcare coverage
• Retirement Plans
• Employee Stock Purchase Program
• Wellness perks
• Paid parental leave
• Paid time off
• Learning and Development resources

Block, Inc. (NYSE: SQ) is a global technology company with a focus on financial services. Made up of Square, Cash App, Spiral, TIDAL, and TBD54566975, we build tools to help more people access the economy. Square helps sellers run and grow their businesses with its integrated ecosystem of commerce solutions, business software, and banking services. With Cash App, anyone can easily send, spend, or invest their money in stocks or Bitcoin. Spiral (formerly Square Crypto) builds and funds free, open-source Bitcoin projects. Artists use TIDAL to help them succeed as entrepreneurs and connect more deeply with fans. TBD54566975 is building an open developer platform to make it easier to access Bitcoin and other blockchain technologies without having to go through an institution.