Closing Date: 31st May, 2026

Description:

Job Description:

The application window is expected to close on: 05/31/2026

Job posting may be removed earlier if the position is filled or if a sufficient number of applications are received.

Members of the Legal organization at select locations will generally be expected to follow a hybrid work model, which includes two days of in-office attendance each week, with limited exceptions.

Note: Job posting may be removed earlier if the position is filled or if a sufficient number of applications are received.

This role can be performed from any location within the United States.

Meet the team:
Cisco's in-house litigation team includes our commercial and IP attorneys, specialists, and paralegals. Our IP Litigation team is responsible for the company's patent litigation matters globally, and works closely with Cisco's product, engineering, sales, finance, marketing and other business teams on disputes. The position will report to our Vice President & Deputy General Counsel of IP Litigation and will be responsible for handling a wide of variety of matters across geographies. The position will work closely with business functions across the company.

Your Impact:

We are looking for a bright, inquisitive, highly strategic and business savvy candidate who can operate independently and find innovative and practical solutions to resolve issues. The ideal candidate is highly collaborative and proactive, has excellent interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to synthesize complex legal issues, assess legal risks and provide clear counseling and advice to executives.
You will be part of a fast-moving, highly impactful, collaborative legal team and you will play a leadership role in all aspects of our intellectual property disputes. You will lead strategic and day-to-day litigation management of matters from initial demand to trial, and through appeal. You will work on a wide variety of cases ranging from U.S. district and appellate court litigation, mediation, and arbitration to PTAB/PTO matters and foreign patent litigation.

Responsibilities include:

Managing all aspects of Cisco's docket of patent disputes in courts, alternative dispute forums and other tribunals throughout the world.
Selecting, retaining and managing outside counsel; establishing and managing litigation budgets that align Cisco's interest with the interest of outside counsel and enhance likelihood of successful outcomes.
Providing business driven counseling to mitigate legal risk in a wide scope of patent disputes.
Coordinating litigation strategies between U.S. district court, PTAB, PTO and foreign legal teams, and facilitating regular communication between these teams.
Liaising with Cisco engineers and outside counsel to assist with discovery and inform litigation positions and strategy.
Attending hearings and trials (as well as mocks) and providing valuable feedback on strategy to outside counsel.
Counseling finance and business functions on risk assessment and dispute resolution strategies.

Minimum Qualifications:

Juris Doctorate (JD) with a strong academic record.
7-8 years of experience working on significant IP litigation matters, including through mediation, arbitration, post grant proceedings, or trial, at a law firm or in-house legal department.
Experience coordinating litigation strategy between U.S. district court litigation and IPR teams is a must. Additional experience coordinating with foreign litigation teams is a huge plus.
Excellent oral and written communication skills and ability to translate complex legal principles and issues to business partners.
Ability to work independently, and exhibit the poise, presence, judgment and decision-making skills to advise senior level management on matters involving legal and reputational risk.

Preferred Qualifications: