Access Advance Careers at Access Advance
Access Advance (“Advance”) is comprised of exceptional individuals that each bring their unique talents and experiences together to form a truly collaborative team environment. Teamwork, communication, and a sense of entrepreneurial spirit are at the core of our company. Our senior leaders work hard to ensure that everyone has the tools and support they need to grow and thrive in our organization.
Advance is patient and measured when recruiting candidates for our team. We prioritize providing effective mentorship that allows talented colleagues to learn on the job. Our organization includes seasoned licensing professionals who are deeply invested in teaching the business to all levels of the organization, throughout all stages of the licensing process. Everyone assumes multiple roles and learns new skills in the process, which increases team cohesion and overall effectiveness. Each member of the team is heard, and their input is valued.
Current Openings at Access Advance
The General Manager of VDP (Video Distribution Patent) Pool Licensing is a dual Senior Program Manager/Senior Licensing position. This position will lead the development and management of the Company’s new VDP Pool which focuses on licensing internet video streaming. Major responsibilities will include:
1. Further and continual Business Development of the VDP patent pool
2. Overall VDP program management ownership for this newly created pool
3. Support and in some cases leadership for Licensing team negotiations to accomplish the licensing goals of the pool
4. Lead the coordination and collaboration, both internally within the licensing team and other internal functional organizations and externally to our existing and potential clients, on VDP licensing related issues, policies and goals.
This position reports directly to the CEO and will be one of a team of resident experts in providing advice and counsel on a broad range of domestic and international VDP licensing activities and strategies.
Specific Job Responsibilities:
- Own the further development of the VDP Patent Pool to include building opportunity and evaluation models based on a company’s VDP usage and circumstances to evaluate revenue potential and prioritize opportunities
- Structure deals and serve as primary deal support to Licensing Team in their negotiations with potential licensees of the VDP patent pool
- In some cases act a lead negotiator with potential licensees for the VDP pool
- Lead the coordination and collaboration of various licensing related activities and policies within Access Advance related to VDP
- In conjunction with a team of experts, prepare for negotiations by analyzing technology, business models, financial situations and product strategies for target companies
- Develop relationships with key leaders in companies utilizing VDP technology
- Work as part of the core leadership team to strategically plan and implement a go-to- market strategy, including analyzing and recommending potential improvement to the design of the program
- Assist in assertion/litigation planning and execution of VDP patent rights
- Other related duties as assigned
Successful candidates will demonstrate a combination of the following skills and abilities:
- Must have a clear, concise, and logical writing ability
- Must have high standards to produce thoughtful and polished work products
- Must be a creative problem solver
- Must be extremely well versed at understanding contract language and patent law involving highly complex patent licenses
- Must have demonstrated negotiation experiences at the most senior levels
- Must be able to build strong, solid relationships with prospective licensees/licensors
- Must be able to work collaboratively with other team members
- Must be able to grasp complex business issues, negotiate unclear business needs and create simple solutions
- Strong understanding of licensing SEPs and the relevant law
- Willing to accommodate the business hours of international companies
Qualifications & Experience:
Minimum Qualifications:
- BS/BA degree from an accredited college or university
- Minimum of 8-10 years licensing and deal negotiations of highly complex licensing agreements preferably in the Video Distribution Platform space
- Demonstrated knowledge and ability to ‘speak the language’ of the video marketplace
- Must be eligible for and able to manage substantial travel domestically and internationally
- Must be eligible to work in the United States and out of an office in Boston, MA (Note: Access Advance currently offers a hybrid in-office/at-home work schedule)
Desired Qualifications:
- MBA or JD
- Prior experience with patent pools or business development experience
- Demonstrated experience negotiating at senior levels
- Strong oral and written communication skills
- Independent thinker with strong interpersonal and leadership skills
- Demonstrated experience working and understanding cultural differences
- Enjoys working as part of a team of experts
- Able to work effectively with all levels of an organization
- Demonstrated self-starter
- Capable of handling multiple priorities in a time pressured environment
- Established analytical ability
- Prior experience with video or audio compression technology
Character and Personal Qualities:
A successful person in this role will:
- Not take ‘no’ for an answer but will continuously look for opportunities for success
- Understand the art of positive negotiations
- Have self-confidence and self-understanding to know their strengths and development needs and work at the highest echelons of an organization
- Enjoy highly collaborative, energized environments
- Be able to influence others with fact-based thinking, cross-group collaboration and inter-personal awareness skills
- Be concise in written and verbal communication
As a key addition and resource to our in-house legal team, the Patent Litigation and Licensing Paralegal will be an integral team member in managing complex patent litigation and patent licensing matters, with primary responsibility for providing litigation support, patent related support, licensing support, and maintenance of agreements throughout their life cycle. The ideal candidate will bring a unique blend of law firm litigation experience and in-house legal operations expertise.
Specific Job Responsibilities:
Litigation Support
- Maintain matter management system for litigation matters
- Coordinate with outside counsel regarding case strategy, scheduling, and matter management
- Assist with ensuring OC complies with outside counsel guidelines
- Track case deadlines and ensure timely compliance with court-ordered schedules
- Manage exhibit preparation and trial logistics
- Conduct factual research and investigate case-related issues
- Draft correspondence and communicate with outside counsel and licensors
- Implement and maintain litigation hold procedures to ensure proper preservation of potentially relevant materials
- Coordinate with IT, business teams, and outside counsel to identify, preserve, and collect relevant documents and electronically stored information (ESI)
- Oversee all aspects of discovery in litigation matters, including planning, coordination, and execution of discovery requests and responses
- Manage document collection, review, and production processes across multiple litigation matters
- Organize and maintain document databases and case files using litigation support platforms
- Prepare privilege logs and coordinate privilege review processes
Licensee Agreement Management
- Create draft licensing agreements from templates
- Implement and manage agreement review and execution process in coordination with the licensing team
- Maintain patent license agreement document repository
- Maintain licensor notice information
- Document and maintain workflow processes
Successful candidates will demonstrate a combination of the following skills and abilities:
- Strategic thinking and problem-solving abilities
- Ability to work independently with minimal supervision while knowing when to escalate issues
- Strong project management skills
- Adaptability and flexibility in a fast-paced environment
- Professional demeanor and sound judgment
- Commitment to maintaining confidentiality and handling sensitive information appropriately
- Must have a clear, concise, and logical writing ability
- Must be well versed at understanding contract language
- Must be able to work collaboratively with other team members
- Familiarity with patent licensing
Qualifications & Experience:
Minimum Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree or paralegal certificate from an ABA-approved program
- Minimum 5-7 years of paralegal experience in patent litigation and licensing
- Proven expertise in managing complex discovery processes and license management
- Excellent organizational skills with ability to manage multiple matters simultaneously
- Superior attention to detail and commitment to accuracy
- Effective written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to work collaboratively with cross-functional teams
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and Salesforce
- Proficiency with e-discovery platforms and litigation support software Salesforce, (e.g. Relativity, Everlaw, or similar)
- Must be eligible to work in the United States and out of an office in Boston, MA
Desired Qualifications
- Prior experience in both law firm and in-house legal department settings
- Familiarity with patent litigation proceedings, including in international forums
- Familiarity with patent licensing agreements and negotiations
- Experience with contract lifecycle management (CLM) systems
- Familiarity with Salesforce for matter management
- Knowledge of Intellectual Property Management Systems (IPMS)
- Understanding of patent law fundamentals and USPTO procedures
- Experience with technical subject matter in patent cases (e.g., video coding, software, telecommunications)
- Trial preparation and support experience
Character and Personal Qualities:
A successful person in this role will:
- Not take ‘no’ for an answer but will continuously look for opportunities for success
- Enjoy highly collaborative, energized environments
- Be concise in written and verbal communication
The Senior Intellectual Property Counsel will support the legal group in providing counsel to Access Advance on a broad range of various domestic and international intellectual property and FRAND licensing issues. Responsibilities will include supporting the licensing team in negotiations with major international technology companies (including contract drafting and technical analyses of infringement), interfacing with and supporting 60+ major patent owners of video codec standard-essential patents, counseling compliance and finance departments in both technical and legal matters, and supporting outside litigation counsel in proceedings related to the company’s patent pools. The Counsel will also support Access Advance’s independent evaluation function, conducted by independent, outside firms of patent legal experts, for vetting submitted patents for inclusion in the various patent pool portfolios.
Specific Job Responsibilities:
- Perform complex patent infringement analysis including review of claim charts prepared by outside counsel with the assistance, as needed, of external technical experts
- Explain and represent the portfolio of licensed patents, as represented by way of example in the claim charts, to support licensing discussions
- Prepare high level summaries of the portfolio, including subject matter coverage, geographic scope, and life expectancy
- Manage independent patent evaluation, including by developing relationships with current and prospective licensors to explain evaluation processes and their relationship to royalty allocations
- Liaise with finance team regarding royalty allocation matters that arise from patent counts in the portfolio
- Regularly communicate with the 60+ patent owners regarding their portfolios and enforcement activities
- Assist with day-to-day litigation activities involving Access Advance or the patents it licenses
- Oversee and conduct product testing to support licensing and audits
- Monitor and investigate global landscape and licensing of SEPs covering video compression standards
- Stay current on international patent litigation and licensing laws, with particular emphasis on SEPs and FRAND
- Other duties as assigned
Successful candidates will demonstrate a combination of the following skills and abilities:
- Ability to distill complex concepts into easy-to-understand presentations to technical and non-technical audiences
- Must maintain a service-oriented mindset to internal teams and external stakeholders in the program
- Must be able to efficiently manage internal and external resources in a fast-paced environment to accurately and efficiently accomplish several matters and tasks simultaneously
- Must leverage strong substantive expertise and experience to create legal solutions that will advance business goals
- Familiarity or expertise in video compression technologies
Qualifications & Experience:
Minimum Qualifications:
- Minimum of 7 years patent legal experience in the high-tech sector
- Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical or Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or other relevant field from an accredited college or university
- Juris Doctorate from an accredited college or university
- Member in good standing with a State Bar and eligible for in-house status in Massachusetts
- Admitted to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
- Must be able to manage travel domestically and internationally
- Must be willing to work out of an office in Boston, MA
- Must be eligible to work in the United States
Desired Qualifications:
- Experience with patent licensing programs
- Prior legal or technical experience with video compression technology
- Experience with standard-essential patents and FRAND
- Experience with standards organizations and development
- Courtroom experience in patent litigation and/or experience leading patent licensing negotiations
- Experience managing all phases of patent litigation proceedings (or being managed in doing the same)
- Experience in a global FRAND or SEP-based licensing program
- Experience as an outside patent litigation counsel in a large law firm
Character and Personal Qualities:
A successful person in this role will:
- Enjoy high-tech environments and its challenges
- Want to be an expert but will enjoy working as part of a team of experts
- Understand the art of positive negotiations
- Be exhilarated by the challenges of a small company
- Have self-confidence and self-understanding to know strengths and development needs
- Enjoys a highly collaborative, energized environment
- Have a sense of curiosity and a desire for continuous learning
- Exercise exceptional judgment and maintain the highest ethical standards
We are seeking an experienced Senior Lead Contracts Attorney to join our legal team to support our patent pool licensing programs for standard essential patents (SEPs) in video coding technologies. This role will provide legal analysis, draft contract language, and identify key risk areas in support of our licensing executives in negotiating FRAND-based license agreements. The ideal candidate will have deep contract experience and expertise in SEP licensing, FRAND obligations, and the unique legal considerations of operating as a patent pool administrator.
Specific Job Responsibilities:
FRAND License Agreement Support
- Draft, review, and revise SEP license agreements in accordance with FRAND (fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory) commitments.
- Support licensing executives throughout the negotiation process by providing legal analysis, drafting contract language, and identifying key risk areas.
- Ensure all licensing terms comply with FRAND obligations and maintain consistency with the patent pool’s established licensing framework.
- Prepare side letters agreements that address specific licensee circumstances while preserving program integrity.
Patent Pool Agreement Administration
- Maintain comprehensive knowledge of all existing license agreements within the patent pool program.
- Monitor and ensure consistency across the licensing program to maintain FRAND compliance and prevent discriminatory treatment.
- Develop and maintain systems for tracking agreement terms, obligations, and key provisions across the entire licensee portfolio.
- Identify and flag potential conflicts or inconsistencies during negotiations that could impact the integrity of the FRAND licensing framework.
Legal Analysis & Risk Management
- Provide expert guidance on FRAND licensing principles, case law, and regulatory developments affecting SEP licensing.
- Analyze complex licensing issues including royalty calculations, patent essentiality determinations, and territorial scope.
- Assess legal risks related to potential FRAND violations, competition law compliance, and license agreement disputes.
- Research and advise on international SEP licensing frameworks and jurisdiction-specific requirements.
Standards & Technical Coordination
- Work closely with technical experts to understand the standards covered by the patent pool, particularly video coding standards such as HEVC, VVC, AV1, and VP9
- Support patent pool governance activities and maintain alignment with standard-setting organization requirements.
- Monitor developments in video coding standards and their licensing implications.
Documentation & Knowledge Management
- Create and maintain templates, form agreements, and drafting guidelines for SEP licenses.
- Develop internal playbooks and resources documenting licensing positions, standard terms, and negotiation parameters.
- Prepare memoranda analyzing licensing issues, competitive agreements, and industry practices.
- Train and advise internal stakeholders on FRAND licensing principles and patent pool operations.
Successful candidates will demonstrate a combination of the following skills and abilities:
- Exceptional attention to detail and ability to maintain consistency across complex documentation
- Strong organizational skills with ability to manage multiple licensing matters simultaneously
- Collaborative mindset with ability to work effectively with business teams in a support capacity
- Strategic thinking balanced with practical, business-oriented legal advice
- Professional demeanor and strong interpersonal skills for licensee interactions
- Commitment to maintaining the highest standards of compliance and ethical business practices
- Must be able to work collaboratively with other team members
Qualifications & Experience:
Minimum Qualifications:
- Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an accredited law school
- Active bar membership in good standing
- 10+ years of experience in patent licensing with substantial focus on SEPs
- Understanding of FRAND licensing obligations, including relevant case law and regulatory frameworks
- Excellent written communication and contract drafting skills
- Strong analytical skills with ability to identify inconsistencies and maintain program integrity across numerous agreements
- Proven experience in working in a teams-based environment
- Must be eligible to work in the United States and out of an office in Boston, MA in a hybrid environment
Desired Qualifications:
- Direct experience working with patent pool administrators or patent owners in the licensing of SEPs
- Experience with European competition law and international SEP licensing frameworks
- Knowledge of key SEP/FRAND jurisdictions and legal developments (U.S., EU, China, etc.)
- Familiarity with patent pool structures in the telecommunications or media technology sectors
- Experience analyzing royalty methodologies and rate-setting for SEP portfolios
- Familiarity with video coding technologies, particularly HEVC (H.265), VVC (H.266), AV1, and VP9
Character and Personal Qualities:
A successful person in this role will:
- Not take ‘no’ for an answer but will continuously look for opportunities for success
- Enjoy highly collaborative, energized environments
- Be concise in written and verbal communication
Access Advance LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by law.