Intellectual Property Expert

What you'll do

IP is the most technical variant in Mercor's senior-lawyer evaluation series, and the only one that openly welcomes patent agents alongside attorneys. You design scenarios that test an AI system on patent prosecution and portfolio strategy, trademark and copyright disputes, and licensing or technology transfer, then write the reference work and the rubric.

The reference outputs named in the ad are the documents IP practitioners live in: patent applications, office action responses, licensing agreements and litigation memoranda. Methods include patentability analysis, claim construction and freedom-to-operate review. Scenarios can involve patent search platforms (PatSnap, Innography, USPTO PatFT), docketing and portfolio systems (Anaqua, CPA Global) and claim-charting tools.

Tracks:

• US: 35 U.S.C., the MPEP, USPTO procedure and Federal Circuit precedent
• International: the European Patent Convention, PCT and WIPO treaties

Who fits

• 5+ years as an IP attorney or patent agent at a major IP firm or corporate IP department; the ad cites Fish & Richardson, Finnegan and Wilson Sonsini, or in-house IP counsel at a tech or pharma company
• Direct ownership of prosecution portfolios, licensing negotiations or IP litigation
• Working knowledge of USPTO and EPO procedure and the treaty system

Strongly preferred: a JD with bar admission and USPTO registration, or an equivalent such as European Patent Attorney. A technical or STEM background plus prior rubric or training authorship is a plus, and for prosecution-heavy scenarios the technical side will likely matter as much as the legal one.

What it pays

$90–100 per hour, the same band as the corporate, litigation, regulatory and public interest versions. No weekly hours or duration stated. Payments are weekly on Stripe or Wise; H-1B and STEM OPT candidates are not supported.

Worth knowing

Good:

• Patent agents are in scope, not just attorneys
• European Patent Attorneys can apply on the international track; no residence requirement stated
• The busiest listing in this legal series: 114 hires shown this month

Less good:

• Rate is modest for experienced patent practitioners
• No hours or duration; projects can be extended, shortened or ended early
• Independent contractor

About this listing

Posted by Mercor as a remote hourly contract, read on 24 September 2026. Pay, tracks and qualifications are the ad's own. Related: Litigation Expert, Corporate Law Expert. See Mercor.