Legal Counsel, Patent Attorney

About Mistral AI ---------------- Mistral AI is a leading provider of AI technology, founded on the belief that AI can simplify tasks, save time, and enhance learning and creativity.

Role Summary ------------ As our Patent Attorney, you will be at the heart of our innovation strategy, transforming cutting-edge research into a robust and strategic intellectual property portfolio. You will work closely with our world-class research, engineering, and product teams to protect groundbreaking inventions, shape the future of open-source AI, and support the company's global growth.

Key Responsibilities -----------------

Invention Harvesting

Proactively engage with researchers, engineers, and product managers to identify and prioritize patentable inventions. Advise on what to retain as a trade secret and what to file as a patent application. Draft invention memos based on interviews, internal product documentation, and scientific papers. Translate complex technical ideas into clear, defensible disclosures.

Patent Drafting and Prosecution

Prepare independent claims and manage outside counsel in the drafting and global prosecution of patent applications. Supervise office action responses and ensure consistent, high-quality filings.

Inventor Recognition Program

Administer and evolve internal inventor incentives, including bonuses, awards, and visibility initiatives.

M&A Due Diligence

Support IP due diligence in M&A and strategic investment transactions, including assessment of the IP portfolio, freedom-to-operate risks, and competitive positioning of targets.

Processes and Tools

Develop and maintain internal documentation, workflows, and inventor education on the patent process. Build dashboards to track filings, deadlines, and portfolio metrics. Recommend and manage internal IP tools, databases, and docketing systems. Oversee analytics and reporting dashboards for the IP portfolio.

Portfolio Strategy and Budget Management

Contribute to the development of a global IP strategy aligned with corporate goals. Track and manage IP budget and outside counsel performance.

Open Source and Defensive Alliances

Align patent strategy with Mistral's open source objectives. Evaluate and recommend participation in patent pools, defensive patent networks, or other industry alliances that support open innovation while protecting core assets.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Partner with other legal team members, product, engineering, and research teams to embed IP thinking in the development lifecycle and broader company strategy.

Ideal Candidate Profile --------------------- You Must Have ...

Patent Expertise

Proven experience drafting patents in complex software/AI domains. Deep understanding of AI patent eligibility (US & Europe). Experience in licensing or litigation (a plus for assessing patent quality).

GenAI Literacy

Hands-on experience with LLMs (e.g., building agents, technical projects). Ability to decode and articulate complex technical concepts (model architectures, training methods). Coding skills (Python, etc.) are a strong plus.

Law Firm Management

Experience selecting, managing, and optimizing external patent firms.

Collaboration with Inventors

Ability to engage with researchers/engineers and extract critical information. Talent for explaining IP concepts to non-legal audiences.

Proactive and Resourceful

Self-driven to anticipate needs, engage stakeholders, and document processes.

In addition, the perfect candidate would have...

Business Acumen

Understanding of how patents drive value for a scale-up.

Open-Source Knowledge

Familiarity with open-source licenses and their intersection with patents.

M&A IP Due Diligence

Experience assessing IP in tech transactions.

Languages Fluent English (required for legal/technical writing). French (a plus for day-to-day collaboration).

Benefits

💰 Competitive cash salary and equity

🥕 Food: Daily lunch vouchers

🥎 Sport: Monthly contribution to a Gympass subscription

🚴 Transportation: Monthly contribution to a mobility pass

🧑‍⚕️ Health: Full health insurance for you and your family

🍼 Parental: Generous parental leave policy

🌎 Visa sponsorship