Patents enable the owner of the patent to exclude members of the public from making, using, or selling the claimed invention or idea. Most countries have some system of patenting but the systems vary and the items or ideas that are patentable vary as well. In the United States, patent lawyers and patent law firms litigate patents and perform a variety of other related services for individuals and large companies attempting to secure a patent.

The Best Credentials

Patent lawyers with expertise in a particular area, as well as a J.D., are the most likely to be successful in securing a job in patent law. For example, an individual with a Ph.D. in physical chemistry and a law degree is likely to be coveted by firms nationwide because he or she has a specific area of expertise and a law degree. Many law firms will review resumes and the very first thing they will look at is your technical background. Those that do not have a strong technical background might be quickly overlooked.

So, the best credentials you can offer a potential employer are a specific and strong technical background (physics, electronics, chemistry, programs in assembler and high-level computer languages), attendance at a strong law school, and excellent LSAT scores. After that, patent law firms may consider other resume credentials but these are the most critical to pay attention to.

The Salary and Life of a Patent Lawyer

The American Intellectual Property Law Association reports that the median patent lawyer salary is $119,000. The median reported patent lawyer starting salary was about $57,000. While patent lawyers command high salaries at both the lawyer starting salary level and upper levels, the work is demanding and extremely time consuming. Salaries also depend on area of practice and geographic location. Additionally, most patent lawyers have spent many years and a lot of money on education so their debt to income ratio, at least in the early years of their career, is generally very high. When it comes to the average day of work for a patent lawyer, it will depend on where he or she works. Some patent attorneys work in large patent law firms or corporations that focus on litigation while others work in licensing or issuing opinions.

About the Author

Amanda Daflos is the Founder and President of Aleigh Productions, a marketing and public relations consulting firm based in Boulder, Colorado which specializes in work with non-profit organizations and initiatives as well as small businesses and corporations that work in the outdoors. Academically trained at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York and then headed to Columbia University in New York City to complete a master’s degree in public administration.

Posted on May 19, 2005 at 11:06 AM

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