Anyone considering a career as a patent attorney?

chemraj

Hi,
I have finished my PhD in Organic chemistry and I am working as associate scientist in medicinal chemistry laboratory in an academic institute. Prior to this, i have worked in IPM (Intellectual Property Management) department analyzing patents and finding a different way to start the project in a pharmaceutical industry.

Please advice me what should I be doing to become a patent agent. I had gone through this type forum a lot and understood that I need to pass bar exam. My question is how hard it is to pass the bar and after passing what is the procedure to find and apply for jobs (I think it is too early to ask-but i am curious).

berned_you

The exam is not easy but neither is all the schooling you've been through. It will take work but I'm sure you can do it. Once you pass, you can simply apply for any job for a patent agent with a chemical/pharma background that you may find online or through networking/cold calls. There's no special process.

chemraj

Thank you very much for the reply..May i know how much would be the relative competition and how hard it is to get the job with PhD in organic/general chemistry and 3+years of pharmaceutical industrial experience with masters.

tjackson3

I'm a graduate student in applied math. I've received my MS and am debating on continuing on for my PhD. How much would having the PhD over the MS help me if I were to become a patent lawyer? Also, I'd heard that the patent legal market was the one area that was still doing well in terms of hiring new lawyers, but a previous post you made seemed to disagree with that. Have things changed since that first post?

Ach

If I was an electrical engineer, how much work experience would be recommended to reliably secure a job as a patent attorney? Would I be able to go law school immediately after getting my degree, or would it be better to get a couple years of experience in actual engineering first?

Ach

Also, would advanced engineering degrees be significantly helpful?

berned_you

@Ach - there is no formula. It's nice to have some experience but it's not required. What constitutes "some" is subjective. I went to law school right after obtaining my engineering degree. Advanced engineering degrees dont hurt but aren't a necessity.

I know my response isn't terribly helpful but I can't tell you what to do in this case. Having more experience and more education is "better" but it's not required. At some point you have to do what you want to do. There is no formula for finding a job. Even if you have the perfect resume you may not quickly find a job if you are not personable or if you are not committed to finding a job. Being personable and committed to finding a job could overcome a less "shiny" resume. It all depends on a lot of factors and there are no guarantees for anything in this world.

ds_02

Hey, I am from India. I have done my B.tech in Electronics and Instrumentation. After working in management for a couple of years I am considering career in IP. The course that I plan on appearing for also provides CASRIP certificate from University of Washington.

Can you tell me what is the relevance of this certificate and how it will be useful if I take US Patent Bar Examination in future?

berned_you

See the attachment in post #7 of this thread for the requirements to sit for the patent bar.

rxfeliciano

Hello, first off I want to say thanks a lot for posting all this information. It's hard to get so much information in one place like this. I recently graduated with a BS in Aerospace Engineering with a low GPA. I have 2 questions for you:


1. I know you have mentioned the fact that mechanical engineering majors are attractive to patent firms. What about aerospace engineering majors? At my school mechanical and aero majors were on the same track until our senior years with most of the classes overlapping both majors.

2. Assuming I were to pass the patent bar exam, what are the chances of me getting a job as a patent agent with no experience in my field? Do firms look at your GPA? And if so, how could I overcome this?

Thanks again for your help!

berned_you

1. The best way to get an idea is to check job postings for patent agents. If you see jobs for this background, you know there is good demand. If not, well...it could be difficult to find a job. I agree that you're probably qualified for working on mechanical patents but there is less of a demand for patent agents in the mechanical area because most mechanical patents are not very high tech. Again, look at job postings and get an idea of what firms are looking for and where they need expertise.

2. Having no work experience and a low GPA will be two strikes against you. This can, potentially, be overcome with lots of networking, hard work and maybe a little luck. Most patent agents I meet are super educated and experienced in their tech fileds. As discussed previously, patent agents are most often needed where it's challenging for a patent attorney (who has a basic tech background) to understand the subject matter that's being patented because it's highly advanced and the technology field is advancing at a fast pace. To be a sought-after patent agent candidate, you need to know more about the technology than the attorneys you are working for.

If you really want to work in the patent field, consider applying to be a patent examiner as discussed herein. It's much easier to find a job with the patent office and will, at the very least, provide you with excellent experience to beef up your resume.

Brittney

Must you pass the patent exam to practice as a IP attorney? Are patents and trademarks the only IP fields that require certification from the USPTO?

berned_you

Passing the Patent Bar Exam is required to prosecute patents before the USPTO. There is no corresponding requirement for trademarks and copyrights.

chemraj

Dear friends

I have a question here. Do we only have few dates to take the exams or we can take the exam anytime just like GRE. I know we have to get the clearance from USPTO to register for the exam, so once we get accepted from USPTO are we allowed to book the date for the test at any available date.

Looking forward to here from someone.

berned_you

Read this http://www.uspto.gov/ip/boards/oed/GRB_March_2012.pdf

Kamala

Hi,

I am a Biological Science PhD student, but due to some personal reason I wont be able to continue in the PhD program. I will eventually get a masters degree. I have experience (2.5yrs) in patent office in a big biologics company, India and the company trained me in US, EU as well as India patent laws. I also have a post-graduate diploma in patent law from National Law School, India. I want to know my chances of getting into a patent firm with my background. I am planning to write the patent bar exam soon and want to become a patent agent. My question is will a MS degree fetch me a job in a law firm or USPTO?? I know that I love patent work and really want to make a career in the intellectual property field. Your suggestions will help me decide my future goals.

berned_you

I think your qualifications are strong. The Patent Office is almost always looking to hire examiners and I think your odds would be good with a firm too as a patent agent. That is not to say a job will be handed to you without much work but I think your chances of making a career in US patent law are rather good. If you want to apply to work at a firm you will need to pass the US Patent Bar examination but if you apply to work at the USPTO you will not and you will earn this qualification through working as an examiner. I note that I would emphasize your foreign patent knowledge and qualifications when applying for jobs at firms. I think that will help set you apart from other candidates.

Hope that helps.