<p>Hi,</p>
<p>So I was looking at salary.com, and it seems that patent lawyers are EXTREMELY well paid. But I was wondering about a few things:</p>
<p>a. How long does it take in general to earn that much money? I'm not looking for something ridiculous like 200k, but somewhere around 150k or so is what I'm looking at.</p>
<p>b. Are the hours really bad, or is it just a bit worse than a 9-5 type job?</p>
<p>c. If these lawyers are so highly compensated, why is it relatively unpopular? In medicine, many of the hardest jobs are the highest paying ones, so why isn't that true here as well? Is it because not everyone likes/majored in/is cut out for the sciences as a lawyer, or do most people find it boring?</p>
<p>thanks!</p>
<p>a. Starting salaries for 1st year associates are now in the $110-130K range, so hitting $150K won't take long.</p>
<p>b. Depends where you work. In a law firm, billable hours are king, so hours can be long. 9-5 is practically part-time in the legal profession. I work for a corporation and have a regular 8-6 schedule, with no weekends, unlike my law firm friends who regularly log 60-70+ hours a week. Compared to my law firm days, my current work schedule feels positively luxurious.</p>
<p>c. Not many engineers want to spend another grueling 3 years in school after getting the B.S. Also, patent lawyers have a somewhat unusual skill set: they have to be proficient in science/engineering AND reading/writing. Many people lean toward liking one or the other, but not both.</p>
<p>And yes, it can be boring, but the pay makes up for it for the most part.</p>
<p>If you graduate from a good law school andgo into patent law in a major legal market at a Vault 100 firm, you can be looking at 145-160K a year plus a bonus your first year at the firm. Mind you, you'll be working 60-80 hours a week.</p>