Senior Counsel, Intellectual Property

Senior Counsel, Intellectual Property 

About Carvana
At Carvana, we’re changing the way people buy and sell cars. With an ambitious vision and a fundamentally different approach designed to be fun, fast, and fair, Carvana became the fastest-growing automotive retailer in history. We expanded nationally, went public on the New York Stock Exchange, sold our 1 millionth car, and reached the Fortune 500, all in just eight years. 

Today, with 4 million retail customers and counting, Carvana is both the fastest-growing and the most profitable public automotive retailer, and we’re just getting started. We continue to raise the bar for our customers as we tackle the enormous opportunity still ahead in the largest consumer vertical.  

Working here means being part of a team that embraces change, celebrates creative problem solving, and always strives to be better. At Carvana, you’ll have the opportunity to take on meaningful challenges, learn quickly, and help shape the future of automotive retail. If you’re driven to grow and make an impact as part of a collaborative team, you’ll fit right in. Learn more about what it’s like to work here from the people that already do. 

About the team and position
Join Carvana’s Legal Department in the role of Senior Counsel, Intellectual Property. Carvana is looking for an experienced and motivated attorney to serve on Carvana’s Intellectual Property Team, a key part of Carvana’s Legal Department, responsible for the efficient and effective management of Carvana’s intellectual property assets.  As a member of Carvana’s Intellectual Property Team, you’ll manage Carvana’s growing patent portfolio and other management and advisory activities in support of Carvana's intellectual property portfolio. You will also assist in managing Carvana’s AI Governance efforts. You will report to the head attorney of the Intellectual Property Team. 

This is a fully on-site position, Monday through Friday, at our corporate HQ in Tempe, Arizona OR Playa Vista, California

What you’ll be doing 

• Proactively work with inventors, content creators, and other departments to identify new portfolio opportunities.  Conduct initial research, create strategic recommendations and hold discussion as required with internal legal team members and external counsel.  
• Analyze competitor and Carvana patents to make infringement and validity assessments, obtain signatures for declarations/assignments/applications/etc. and communicate with external counsel regarding prosecution needs and deadlines.  
• Assist with Trademark prosecution, litigation and enforcement work.
• Assist with IP litigation matters, including assisting with discovery, maintaining the file, and coordinating with outside counsel.
• Conduct advertising and marketing reviews, assess claims and appropriateness of substantiation, advise on a range of copyright, right of publicity and trademark issues, and otherwise help support the marketing team at Carvana.
• Assist with managing and maintaining AI Task Force work, including review of new AI tools and contracts for the company in collaboration with business teams like engineering and InfoSec.  
• Assist with enforcement matters relating to Carvana’s trademarks and domains (experience with UDRP/URS proceedings is a plus).
• Review and/or draft IP agreements, licensing agreements and other related intellectual property agreements.
• Develop an understanding of Carvana business processes and systems and build associated technical understanding related to the automotive and financial services industries. 
• Establish and maintain excellent communication and positive relationships with business partners to ensure successful outcomes concerning intellectual property matters and strategic business objectives.
• Other duties as assigned.

What you should have/know
The successful Senior Counsel, Intellectual Property is team oriented and highly attentive to detail, focused on customer service, a problem solver and comfortable with ambiguity while managing multiple high-priority projects at once.  This position requires an understanding of Carvana’s organizational goals and an appreciation of how the Intellectual Property Team’s efforts can support those goals.  This position requires frequent interaction with Carvana’s business teams and requires clear communication that presents complex information in a concise and easy-to-understand manner.  A successful candidate will be an agile learner, able to work independently with minimal supervision and excited to create processes and foundational program elements from scratch.

• A JD and membership in good standing with a United States Bar.
• 5-8  years of experience providing legal support to sophisticated businesses at a national firm with either patent litigation or patent prosecution experience; trademark prosecution is ideal but not required.
• Experience at a large national law firm is preferred. 
• Inquisitive nature and comfort challenging current practices and operating in uncertainty.
• Superior written and verbal communication skills.
• Superior research skills and ability to condense complex IP issues into concise and easily understandable summaries. 
• Be comfortable with gray legal areas and identifying reasonable options or approaches. 
• Consistent good judgment and ability to apply legal knowledge to help create practical business solutions.
• Ability to research, prioritize, and respond promptly to a wide range of requests, summarizing and communicating legal concepts in a manner useful to legal and non-legal counterparts.

It would be great if you also have

• Experience with marketing and advertising laws, including the TCPA, CAN SPAM, and Lanham Act claims, etc.
• Project management or process creation and execution experience.
• Experience collaborating with and advising others.
• Project management experience.

Don't Meet 100% of the Qualifications?
At Carvana, we value diverse backgrounds and experiences. We encourage you to apply even if your experience doesn't fit every single bullet point. Give it a shot—we'd love to hear from you!

What we’ll offer in return

• Full-Time salary position with a competitive salary and Carvana stock compensation.
• Medical, Dental, and Vision benefits.
• 401K with company match.
• A multitude of perks including student loan payments, discounts on vehicles, benefits for your pets, and much more.
• A great wellness program to keep you healthy and happy both physically and mentally.
• Access to opportunities to expand your skill set and share your knowledge with others across the organization.
• A company culture focused on high performance and bar-raising, with vast opportunity to learn and grow.

Other requirements
To be able to do your job at Carvana, there are some basic requirements we want to share with you.

• Must be able to read, write, speak, and understand English.

Of course, we’ll make any reasonable accommodations for those with disabilities to perform the essential functions of their jobs. 

Legal stuff
Hiring is contingent on passing a complete background check.  This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship.

Carvana is an equal employment opportunity employer.  All applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, national origin, age, mental or physical disability, protected veteran status, or genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable law.  Carvana also prohibits harassment of applicants or employees based on any of these protected categories.

Please note this job description is not designed to contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.