question for patent lawyer/attorney on career?

Question

Hi, im a student in college right now extremely interested in becoming a patent lawyer but I have a ton of questions:

1) What is it like to be a patent lawyer
2) what does a typical day look like
3) Im going to get a degree in biochemistry, does it matter what science I choose? Are my career options limited rather than majoring in engineering?
4) What is the starting salary in new york?
5) is law school required to become a patent attorney?
6) When should I take the patent bar?
7) How do I get an internship for a patent attorney?

Also, any additional websites would be helpful as well.

and if you can, you dont have to, but anyone who is a patent attorney, could you leave your email so I can email you if I have any questions. (Optional)

Thanks so much!

Answer 1

1. It's great if you like science. For one thing, you get to work in a lot of different scientific areas instead of getting pigeonholed into one area. Second, you make a lot more money than you ever would as an engineer or scientist. In those fields you often have to stop doing science and get into management in order to advance past a certain point. As a patent attorney you can advance as far as you like and still get to do the interesting work.

2. There are so many different areas you can go into, it's hard to say. You can do patent application preparation and prosecution, you can do transactional work, you can work in acquisitions and due diligence, you can work in licensing, infringement and validity analysis, litigation, writing appeals -- the list is endless. Also your experience will be different depending on whether you choose to work for a corporation or in a law firm.

3. Biochemistry is a good field to be in if you intend to be a patent attorney, because patent attorneys with degrees in biochemistry are in demand. Whether biochemical, chemical, or electrical/mechanical engineers are more in demand varies year-to-year, but don't let that worry you. Take the course of study you love the most; that's the best way to ensure success whether you go on to be an intellectual property or patent attorney, or whether you stay in the scientific field itself. Patent attorneys have usually majored in electrical or mechanical (especially electrical) engineering, chemistry, biology, or biochemistry. I majored in physics.

4. I don't know what the starting salary is these days. When I started in 1993 in Washington, DC I started at $70,000/year at a law firm, but I'm sure the starting salary is much higher than that now.

5. In the United States, yes, you need to be a lawyer in order to become a patent attorney, as well as have a bachelors degree in a scientific field. So of course you have to go to law school. You could be just a patent agent with only a scientific degree, without going to law school, but they usually get paid much less -- when they can get work. Also, any attorney can be a litigator, and litigate intellectual property (patent, copyright, trademark, etc.) cases even if they haven't had a technical degree!

6. Most people take the patent "bar exam" soon after starting work for a law firm or corporation. I took it my final year in law school, which I believe helped me in my job search.

7. Most law students who want to go into intellectual property law get a summer internship at an intellectual property law firm after their second year in law school.

Answer 2

I am a third year law student focusing on health law and intellectual property. I also have a degree in biochemistry. I will try to answer some of your questions.

1. Patent lawyers do alot of what patent attorney's do: draft patents and prosecute them. But patent lawyers can do many things that patent attorney's cannot - litigate patents in court.

2. can't tell you. From what I have heard there is no typical day in patent law. Some days you will be drafting patents, some days you will be doing research, interviewing experts... basically, you will be billing as many hours in a day as you can.

3. From my experience looking for a job, your will be much more marketable as a patent attorney with an engineering degree than a biochemistry degree. if you go the biochem route, you will have to get your masters or PhD to be marketable in the patent field now.

4. no idea

5. no. all you have to do is take the patnet bar. that will allow you to practice before the USPTO. to take the patent bar you need a technical degree.
but, as a practical matter, clients will tend to hire patent lawyers (who have their law degree) over those who do not.

6. the patent bar is offered year round. you will probably have to take a prep course, they run from $800 - 3000.

7. It will be very difficult, because you will be competeing with law school students who are frantically trying to get jobs.

Answer 3

I simply learn a tale from MIT approximately how there's a three 12 months again go surfing patents. The executive is making plans on hiring four hundred new patent legal professionals to support, and probalby extra later. So I might say that patent legal professional is a first-rate profession to be going into on the second.