TOP/RECRUIT
Next X
Expertise, into the next power.
You can go beyond preparing documents into work that moves a business. IPX is a firm where intellectual property specialists take on a wider role.
How We Work
How we work
01
Decide for yourself, explain for yourself
Almost all information is open. The person in charge has the authority to decide: move first, watch the response, then correct. In return, you explain your own actions. Discipline rests on freedom, and freedom rests on discipline.
02
Less routine work, more expert work
Documents are prepared on the High Speed, High Quality system, and its foundation is IPX HUB, which connects matters, documents, and communication. This system, built in house, takes on the preparation and the checking, so people spend their time on work only a specialist can do.
03
Keep learning, then teach
YouTube, online courses, books. In a firm with a culture of publishing, what you learn becomes what you publish, and what you publish becomes your name as a specialist.
Culture
What we value
Show respect
Respect the experience, the skills, and the character of your colleagues. Because people gather here from different specialties and different careers, we value an atmosphere of mutual respect.
Learn, and see it through
What matters is not what you know now, but whether you keep learning and carry things through to the end. That is what we look at.
Speak freely, and act
You can say what you think of. You can act on what you said. Title and years of service do not come into it.
Keep a sense of play
The more serious the work, the more a sense of play pays off. From the design of the logo to in-house events, the people here enjoy caring about the details.
Enjoy change
The environment keeps changing, and generative AI has raised the pace another notch. We are looking for people who will enjoy that change with us.
Open Positions
Open positions
We are currently hiring for 4 positions. For all of them, an informal conversation before you apply is welcome.
01 — TOKYO / OSAKA
Patent Attorney (patents)
Mechanical, electrical, and software fields. We especially welcome people confident in IT. The work is broad: patent filing, prosecution, searches, opinions, disputes, and the design of IP strategy.
- Experienced hires only (there is no opening for people without experience at present)
- Annual salary offered: ¥5,000,000 to ¥13,000,000 (set in light of experience and previous employment). Incentive based on output (see the salary examples below)
- Fully remote possible, full flextime
02 — TOKYO / OSAKA
Patent Attorney (designs and trademarks)
A science or humanities background makes no difference. You will handle design and trademark filing, prosecution, searches, disputes, and the design of IP strategy.
- Experienced hires only (there is no opening for people without experience at present)
- Annual salary offered: from ¥5,000,000 (depending on experience)
- Fully remote possible, full flextime
03 — TOKYO / OSAKA
Translator / Patent Searcher / Drawing Tracer
These positions are not open at present. When we reopen them, we will announce it on this page.
04 — TOKYO
Paralegal (patent administration)
The core of day-to-day practice: managing patent attorneys' schedules and the matters we take on. You will also assist in preparing legal documents and correspond with foreign associates.
- Annual salary offered: ¥3,500,000 to ¥7,000,000 (¥3,500,000 to ¥4,200,000 without experience; depending on experience)
- Contract, part-time and student intern positions are also open (terms under How We Work)
05 — TOKYO
Corporate Staff
We are looking for people with at least one year of experience in human resources and labor affairs, such as recruiting support, onboarding and offboarding procedures, and labor management.
- Annual salary offered: ¥3,500,000 to ¥7,000,000 (depending on experience)
- Contract, part-time and student intern positions are also open (terms under How We Work)
Compensation
Pay rises with output.
Compensation for patent attorneys (patents) includes an incentive based on output. Output is our own measure: it starts from something close to revenue and is adjusted for the difficulty of the task and for position. It can go above the annual salary offered on joining.
CLASS S
¥16,000,000 per year
An example for 6 filings and 8 office action responses per month.
CLASS A
¥10,000,000 per year
An example for 4 filings and 4 office action responses per month.
CLASS B
¥5,400,000 per year
An example for 2 filings and 3 office action responses per month.
The salary examples are based on actual results and do not guarantee future amounts.
Workstyle
Working style and systems
Fully remote, full flextime (patent attorneys)
The telework setup is complete, and people who want to work from their home region are welcome. The first 2 weeks after joining require coming to the office (for those outside the Tokyo area, the firm covers 2 weeks of hotel costs). Commuting costs are paid on office days and a home-working allowance on remote days. Business hours are 9:00 to 17:30 on weekdays.
Office roles can also work from home 2 to 3 days a week (administration and corporate)
Based at the main office, with 2 to 3 days a week at home depending on how the team stands. Up to 20 hours of overtime a month is at your own discretion with no application, and overtime is paid in full.
Employment types and terms (administration and corporate)
Contract employees are paid ¥190,000 to ¥240,000 per month (conversion to full-time available); part-time staff and student interns, ¥1,300 to ¥1,800 per hour. Full-time and contract employees have full social insurance, overtime paid in full, and commuting costs covered up to ¥30,000 per month. We ask for IT literacy, and in return pay can reach roughly 1.2 to 1.5 times the market rate, according to ability.
Tools are always current
We use a wide range of IT tools and AI in daily work. We ask for the IT literacy that goes with it, and in return you can grow quickly here.
Dress as you like
We suggest office casual inside the firm.
Process
Selection process
Start with a casual conversation, which is not part of the selection.Once you pass the document screening, the main selection is over in one day.
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01
Casual conversation
Not part of the selection. We start with a chat to get to know each other. Online is fine, and taking part is optional.
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02
Send your documents
Please send your resume and work history. The address is at the end of this page.
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03
Document screening
We review the documents. You also take an assignment for the main selection, a web test of about 40 minutes.
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04
Main selection
An IT literacy test (everyone) and a practical test (patent attorneys only), an introduction to the firm, and an interview that includes the management team. The selection is over in this one day.
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05
Decision
We tell you the result after the selection. If we make an informal offer, we go over the terms in a web meeting.
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06
Offer accepted
You seal the letter of acceptance. We invite you to in-house events even before you start.
Join the Team
Start by getting to know each other.
To apply, send your resume and work history to recruit<AT>ipx.tokyo (read <AT> as @). If you feel it is a little early to send a resume, use the inquiry form.