Counsel, Intellectual Property

About the team

Zillow Group Legal and Compliance is a team of dedicated professionals who thrive in a collaborative environment within a dynamic technology, real estate, and media company. The Intellectual Property, Marketing & AI (IPAM) team partners closely with Product, Engineering, AI, and business stakeholders to protect Zillow’s intellectual property, enable responsible innovation, and manage legal risk across a fast-moving portfolio of products and services.

About the role

Zillow Group’s Legal & Compliance team is looking for a Counsel, Intellectual Property who will serve as the primary in-house patent counsel on the IPAM team, with additional responsibility for open-source governance and IP-adjacent counseling. This attorney will lead core aspects of Zillow’s patent strategy and operations, partner with engineering and product leaders to identify and protect inventions, and help design practical guardrails for open-source use.

We’re looking for someone with meaningful in-house experience who is comfortable working directly with technical stakeholders and enjoys building scalable processes. Product counseling experience with AI/ML tools or AI-enabled products is a strong plus and will help you stand out among otherwise strong candidates.

In this role, you will

• Lead patent strategy and portfolio management, including identifying patentable inventions aligned with business priorities and supporting competitive and portfolio analyses, such as defensive publications, trade secret versus patent decisions, and pruning.

• Guide inventors through the disclosure process and provide clear, business-friendly recommendations on filing, continuation, and abandonment decisions.

• Manage outside patent counsel on patent drafting and prosecution to ensure quality, consistency, and cost-effective outcomes.

• Own core patent operations, including docketing, maintenance, annuities, and improvements to patent intake workflows, tools, and templates.

• Contribute to patent education, communications, and self-service resources that improve patent literacy across engineering, product, and design teams.

• Serve as a primary point of contact for open-source license questions related to use, contribution, and distribution in Zillow products and internal tooling.

• Help maintain and operationalize open-source policies, playbooks, and intake processes in partnership with engineering, security, and compliance.

• For candidates with relevant experience, provide product-facing counseling on AI-enabled features, including data, IP, and model-use considerations, and help translate evolving AI and IP rules into practical guidance for product and engineering stakeholders.

This role has been categorized as a Remote position. “Remote” employees do not have a permanent corporate office workplace and, instead, work from a physical location of their choice, which must be identified to the Company. U.S. employees may live in any of the 50 United States, with limited exceptions.In California, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Washington state, and Washington DC the standard base pay range for this role is $136,300.00 - $217,700.00 annually. This base pay range is specific to these locations and may not be applicable to other locations. In Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Minnesota, Nevada, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Vermont the standard base pay range for this role is $129,500.00 - $206,900.00 annually. The base pay range is specific to these locations and may not be applicable to other locations.In addition to a competitive base salary this position is also eligible for equity awards based on factors such as experience, performance and location. Actual amounts will vary depending on experience, performance and location. Employees in this role will not be paid below the salary threshold for exempt employees in the state where they reside.

Who you are

• You have 4+ years of intellectual property practice experience, including meaningful in-house counsel experience at a technology, software, platform, or similarly situated company.

• You have substantial hands-on experience with patent drafting, prosecution, and portfolio management for software and/or AI-related inventions.

• You have demonstrated experience supervising or leading a patent portfolio, including strategy, filings, maintenance, pruning, and counseling on patent versus trade secret decisions.

• You have working knowledge of open-source licensing and practical experience counseling engineering teams on compliant use, contribution, and distribution.

• You are comfortable supporting product and engineering teams and communicating clearly, both orally and in writing, with technical and non-technical partners, including senior stakeholders.

• You are business-oriented and collaborative, with sound judgment and the ability to calibrate risk, offer practical options, and provide clear recommendations rather than simply issue-spotting.

• You are conscientious, detail-oriented, proactive, and comfortable managing multiple matters at once. You look for opportunities to improve processes and tools, including through thoughtful use of AI where appropriate.

• Experience advising on AI or ML product implementations is a strong plus. Comfort spotting and escalating AI-related IP and data issues is also a plus, even if you are not a dedicated AI specialist.

• You have a J.D. with active state bar admission or eligibility for in-house registration. USPTO registration is a plus, but not required.

• Here at Zillow, we value the experience and perspective of candidates with non-traditional backgrounds. We encourage you to apply if you have transferable skills or related experiences.

Get to know us

At Zillow, we’re reimagining how people move—through the real estate market and through their careers. As the most-visited real estate platform in the U.S., we help customers navigate buying, selling, financing and renting with greater ease and confidence. Whether you're working in tech, sales, operations, or design, you’ll be part of a company that's reshaping an industry and helping more people make home a reality.

Zillow is honored to be recognized among the best workplaces in the country. Zillow was named one of FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For® in 2025, and included on the PEOPLE Companies That Care® 2025 list, reflecting our commitment to creating an innovative, inclusive, and engaging culture where employees are empowered to grow.

No matter where you sit in the organization, your work will help drive innovation, support our customers, and move the industry—and your career—forward, together.

Zillow Group is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an inclusive, innovative environment with the best employees. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please contact your recruiter directly.

Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with applicable state and local law.

Los Angeles County applicants: Job duties for this position include: work safely and cooperatively with other employees, supervisors, and staff; adhere to standards of excellence despite stressful conditions; communicate effectively and respectfully with employees, supervisors, and staff to ensure exceptional customer service; and follow all federal, state, and local laws and Company policies. Criminal history may have a direct, adverse, and negative relationship with some of the material job duties of this position. These include the duties and responsibilities listed above, as well as the abilities to adhere to company policies, exercise sound judgment, effectively manage stress and work safely and respectfully with others, exhibit trustworthiness and professionalism, and safeguard business operations and the Company’s reputation. Pursuant to the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.