"Can you provide any more insight into what your current R&D position entails -- what are the typical job duties?"
Primarily I'm working in the lab and managing a research associate in the lab. So I conduct basic research, develop assays, conduct drug screening (SAR or structure activity relationship studies) and target validation. As part of these duties, I'm constantly evaluating literature, looking for technologies/techniques that might be in academic labs to bring in house.
We do have an in house legal counsel and I've been talking to him a lot about my interest in IP law, and my desire to learn more so he has been trying to bring me into work on some of the patent applications and possible approaches the company is interested in going.